TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS
by TheSilentPartner
Summary: Gibbs falls for the DOD's top Head-gamer, but he doesn't realize how much Dr. Ryan needs him until she and her son are kidnapped! This is not a new story, but I reformatted it and have put it into proper chapters... so I can continue the story now. Enjoy and don't forget to REVIEW, please!
1. Chapter 1

TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS

At first he wasn't at all sure he liked the overconfident, pushy head-gamer when she'd come barging into his investigation last fall. Sure, Doctor Samantha Ryan had done it through official channels, but that had just made him resent it more. Using their chain of command to get what she wanted; access to the details of their investigation into missing missionary workers in South America. If she had a mutual interest in their investigation... or the people involved; she could have just come to him. If she had explained her situation and asked him to share information he would have done so willingly. Instead she had come down on him like some all powerful, all knowing CIA Insider. And if there was one thing Leroy Jethro Gibbs hated, it was the CIA because they never said what they meant and never meant what they said. You couldn't trust them.

That case was a hard one to work for all of them, but it had turned out all right. After Gibbs decided to disregard the esteemed advise of Dr. Ryan and handle things like his gut dictated. She wasn't technically CIA, but the Department of Defense was almost as bad. His gut had never let him down and he knew his team could pull off the mission and get that Navy Chaplain back safe. By the end of that case, Gibbs was ready to show Doctor Ryan the door, with a none too gentle boot to her backside. Especially after she admitted her real reason for her so called cooperation was to get her hands on Monique, the rogue operative that had helped them. Ziva would have taken it personally if their involvement had ended badly for her friend and mentor.

Gibbs had enough problems without getting involved with another power hungry, control freak like Dr. Ryan. After all, it hadn't even been six months since Holly Mann had given him her ultimatum, "Retire with me and move to Hawaii... or else." Gibbs never has responded too favorably to that kind of thinking... just ask his ex-wives. He enters the elevator from the parking garage with a smile as he jabs the button for the third floor. Thinking about how his opinion of Samantha Ryan had changed in the last month.

Officially it had been, what? A month? Unofficially it was two months, but he couldn't really be sure if all of their time together could be considered official. Hell, it felt pretty official to him; having Dr. Ryan in his bed more nights than not. He still couldn't get used to the idea that he was dating the Department of Defense's top shrink. His initial impression of her had begun to crumble that night after the case ended and his phone had rung at two in the morning. Having been asleep, Gibbs wasn't too happy about being woken up, but his training kicked in and his hand was on his cell phone before his eyes were even open. The last person he expected it to be was Samantha Ryan.

He'd been a bit confused, having just woken up, but there was something in her voice. Something soft and scared behind the joking apology and he began to pay attention. She'd used the case as an excuse to call him, wanting to thank him for doing a good job and apologize for how she had handled it... but that wasn't the real reason. She was reaching out to him. He hadn't realized until much later how hard that invitation to breakfast had been for her.

Admitting she couldn't control the whole world alone wasn't something Sam liked to think about, and talking about it was even harder. It had taken them a few more casual dinners and several beers at his place before she opened up to him and he discovered a sensitive, loving woman who was tired of carrying the world on her shoulders. His original nickname of "Doc" was still used while they were at work, but in private only he knew she preferred Sam to her more formal name of Samantha. It took even longer before she confided in him her true fears of her ex-husband and how she'd changed her name and has been hiding from him for the past seven years.

His thoughts are interrupted by his cell phone buzzing on his belt. He glances at the number as he flips the receiver open, "Yea, Gibbs." It takes only a few frantic sentences from Dr. Ryan's secretary to fill him in on his worst nightmare come true. "What do you mean, she's missing!? She was going to drop Parker off at school and go straight to the office." More frantic descriptors come across his phone line and then the distraught secretary is relieved by Dr. Ryan's boss, General Grosskopf. Although obviously upset, he at least was calm enough to be making sense.

Although Gibbs had met her son several times, Sam had felt it was too soon for her teenage son to 'get the full picture of their relationship.' Therefore, they rarely spent an entire night together, unless Parker was away on a school trip or staying over with friends. Being a typical teenager, Parker hadn't warmed up to Gibbs right away, but they were making progress. He was understandably protective of his mother, given who his father was and what they'd been through. He was smart enough at that young age to see the world's dangers.

Now, just a few hours since she'd left his home in the middle of the night, they were telling him she'd vanished. Apparently their office had received intel that Dr. Ryan's ex-husband had unexpectedly been released from prison and had arrived in Washington, DC. Dr. Ryan had warned them that her ex, Liam Colson, was determined to find his wife and son if he ever got out, and make her pay for having put him in prison. Seven years ago, Colson had been put in prison for crimes he committed while leading a radical group from Northern Ireland that was known for trading illegal arms with Libya. Since then she has taken great care to conceal her and Parker's identities and location.

Gibbs feels the fear knotting his gut as General Grosskopf fills him in on what they know. As he storms off the elevator there isn't a person in the bullpen area that doesn't hear him bellow, "God Damn it, General! That just isn't good enough! I need to know where... how long ago?!" He stops in front of his desk, unaware that every eye in the room is watching his outburst; wondering which general is on Gibbs' shit list now. "Bull! I'm on my way! You tell your guys to secure that scene until I get there, you got that?!" With that he snaps his cell phone shut and takes the stairs up to the Director Vance's office two at a time, punctuating his steps with a growling curse, "Son-of-a-bitch! This never would have happened if she'd let me handle this three months ago!"

As Gibbs disappears into Vance's office, the spell is broken and people finally tear their eyes away from the sight; getting back to work. Tony DiNozzo turns to look at his two co-workers, Ziva David and Tim McGee. No words are necessary as they all stand up at the same moment and begin gathering their gear. Whatever the problem, they know their boss will come back down those stairs barking at them to grab their gear because they're heading out to a scene. No sooner had they completed their preparations than Gibbs came storming out of Vance's office with him close behind. As Gibbs took the stairs quickly down to the bullpen, Director Vance felt the need to call out one additional warning, "Gibbs! Did you hear anything I just said?!"

"Yes, Sir. I did."

"Then I don't have to remind you to use caution!?"

"No, Director, you don't... grab your gear!" Gibbs rifles through his desk for something, tucks it into his jacket pocket and heads for the elevator. He is mildly surprised to see his team already standing at the door waiting for him. It shouldn't surprise him, his team was highly trained and they knew him well. As the doors open, Vance calls out, "Keep me posted, Gibbs!"

Without a response, they all step into the car together. Once the door closes, Tony asks what is on all of their minds, "Problem, boss?"

Gibbs takes a deep breath and briefs his team, "We've got a very sensitive international kidnapping. Dr. Ryan and her son are missing and are believed to have been kidnapped by her ex-husband who was mysteriously released from prison without any notification. He was tracked to DC, two days ago and he ain't here to take in the sites." From the confused reaction on their faces, he realizes they haven't heard the story he got from Sam. He fills them in on the way to the garage.

Ziva understands what they are dealing with, "Is this not a security issue due to her work?"

Gibbs gives a curt nod, "You got it, although I don't think her ex, Liam Colson, is interested in torturing her for DOD secrets... I think he's just interested in torturing her for his personal revenge. Dr. Ryan was responsible for exposing his IRA radical group and its ties to Libya... she put him and a lot of others in prison."

Ziva frowns, knowing Libya's history, "That is not good."

McGee, as usual was much better at understanding the technical world of computer speak. He looks from one face to the next and then asks, "Why? What's not good?"

Ziva looks to Gibbs, but he defers to her with a nod so she answers the question. "The Libyans are a nation truly dedicated to terrorist activities, from the royal family on down to the commoners. They are not known for showing mercy to those who betray them... and they are ruthless when it comes to torture. They will keep her alive until they have extracted every secret she knows about the USA... and they will not hesitate to use her son, Parker, as a pawn against her."

"I don't know how much paternal feeling Colson has for his son, but if he's as ruthless as she says he is, he'll not hesitate to turn Parker over to the Libyans, too. He wants to see Sam suffer more than anything." The worry on his face makes it obvious that Gibbs is more than just a professional colleague of Dr. Ryan.

Tony picks up on the personal name and gives Ziva a sideways glance, raising his eyebrow as he mouths the name silently to her. Believing Gibbs had not seen him, he is surprised by the sudden head slap he receives from his boss as he steps out of the elevator in the garage. With a groan he ducks away and then apologizes, "Sorry, boss... focusing on what's important now... getting Dr. Ryan and her son back safely." He hurries to catch up as the others get in the car.

Once in the car, Tony tries to elicit more details from Gibbs about the situation, "So, Dr. Ryan was married to an Irish Republican Army leader, huh? And they had a kid?" Gibbs doesn't respond right away as he takes the curving ramp out of the garage at a speed that has the others holding on tightly.

Once out on the road, he replies, "Basically, but it's complicated. They met while she was attending Eton University, she didn't know who he was until later, but right now, we need to focus on the abduction scene at her house. I want it processed in record time because I don't have to tell you that every minute counts."

His cell phone buzzes against his hip and Gibbs flips it open as he rockets through traffic on the way to Ryan's home in Georgetown. "Gibbs... yes, Leon?" He listens as Leon tells him that MTAC is online with tracking the last know movements of Liam Colson and is standing by to aid him in his investigation. "Got it... McGee, MTAC is online, pull up the feed now." He barks the order to McGee who is sitting in the back seat, then turns his attention back to the phone as Vance continues to speak to him. "What now, Leon!?" he growls impatiently, only to calm down as his boss says, "I know this is personal for you... and I'm standing by to provide whatever you need... just bring them home, Jethro." Gibbs is shocked for a moment, not that Vance somehow knows about his involvement with Dr. Ryan, but more so that he is expressing concern and being cooperative. "I plan to, Leon, I plan to." and with that he snaps his phone shut, disconnecting the line.

"I'm on with MTAC now, boss. Flights from all area airports are being monitored, Harbor Patrol has been notified, bus and train stations are being updated as we speak."

Gibbs nods and then adds, "I doubt Colson is going to take a Greyhound bus to Canada, Tim. He's more likely got a private jet and chances are pretty good he's already left the country. Make sure they check all flights that have departed in the last six hours."

Ziva picks up on the unusual time frame and wonders if there is a reason that Gibbs is narrowing the search to that time. "Six hours? Should we not expand the time search since we are not sure when the abduction occurred?"

Gibbs had been hoping they wouldn't catch on quite so quickly, but now he knows some disclosure is necessary in order for them to do their jobs efficiently. "No, she was with me six hours ago... at my house."

Tony can't resist voicing the thoughts that flow through his brain, "That would make it one in the morning. So... Dr. Ryan was with you, at your house...?" Before Gibbs can voice his reprimand at Tony's prying question, a head slap from the back seat stops his words cold.

Tony turns to glare at Ziva as the offender, but she glares back and scolds him. "Tony... please! It is none of our business why Dr. Ryan was there." Gibbs just grins as he makes eye contact with Ziva in the rear view mirror and winks in silent thanks. He knows they have already figured it out, but he isn't about to discuss it with them... at least not now. They have much more important things to think about right now.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER II

Gibbs stands in the doorway of a bedroom, lost in thought as he stares at the bed Sam sleeps in at home. He feels guilty being here, uninvited, because they're relationship had yet to extend to her personal sanctum. Because of Parker, Sam was always careful to keep their romantic involvement to a minimum while they were here with her son. However, his own home, the bedroom, the living room, the basement... they'd all been witness to Dr. Ryan's romantic creativity. A slight smile tugs at the corner of his mouth as he recalls their last evening together... last night. God, it seemed so long ago. Only hours, but in reality a life time when he thinks that he may never see her again.

He suddenly shakes his head and gives himself a hard head slap as he growls, "Where the hell is your head at, Marine?!" He spins around to go see what his team has accomplished when he almost runs into Ziva. She is standing directly behind him, smirking and trying very hard not to make eye contact with him right now. Gibbs realizes she saw his self-discipline and heard his comment and there is no way to explain it away, but he tries. "I know what you're thinking, but I have never been in that room before." He jabs his thumb backwards over his shoulder, indicating Dr. Ryan's bedroom.

Ziva clears her throat and tries very hard to keep a straight face as she nods to indicate she understands, but can't help adding her own commentary, "Of course... but I am sure you will have many opportunities in the future to... shall we say, remedy that problem?" Gibbs glares at her for a moment, debating whether to give her a head slap of her own. Then Ziva winks at him and a small smile peaks out from her normally controlled features and he can't help but return the smile. He even blushes a little bit as he looks down, then meets her eyes and admits, "I hope so, Agent David... I hope so."

Gibbs leads the way back to the balcony which overlooks the entrance hall downstairs. He leans on the railing and watches as McGee dusts an overturned hall table for prints and silently wonders if his prints will be cataloged among those found there. He scans Dr. Ryan's briefcase, which has been dumped out on the floor, her keys still in the door lock, and Parker's backpack in similar disarray. Ziva stands beside him and gives him a quick update on their investigation so far. "We are still dusting, but as you saw there appears to have been a struggle in the hallway. I also found some signs in the kitchen that Colson, and perhaps an accomplice or two, spent some time in the house waiting for Dr. Ryan to return. They appear to have had a snack and a soda, which leads me to believe there were three intruders."

"Or they already had Parker and were keeping him quiet until Sam returned. That would mean two intruders. From what I know of Colson, he's a hands on kind of a guy and this is personal for him. I have no doubt he wanted to be the first face Sam saw when she got home last night."

"Using her son, would ensure that Dr. Ryan was more compliant with his demands. If she thought her son was in danger..." Ziva doesn't have to finish, but Gibbs does it for her.

"Yeah, she'd do anything Colson asked to protect him. Which means this disturbance in the hallway wasn't a blitz attack to subdue her; it was punishment." His eyes are dark and stormy as he envisions Sam being beaten by Colson... most likely in front of her son. He just hopes she hasn't been hurt too badly before he can get to them.

Just then, Tony lets out a shout from another room in the house, "Boss, I got something!" Gibbs and Ziva hurry downstairs to find Tony in the office. He is seated at a laptop computer that Gibbs recognizes as Sam's personal computer. As he comes around to see what Tony is looking at, his senior agent gives him an explanation. "I know you're probably in awe that I was able to get into Dr. Ryan's computer so easily, but in all honestly... it was already on when I came in here. I just moved the mouse and this came up. What do you think, boss? Looks like Colson isn't headed for the comfort of the rolling green hills of Northern Ireland, huh?"

Gibbs scans the webpage and sees that someone has been checking the airports for connections in Barcelona, Spain. He feels a chill run down his spine and knows this is not good. Depending on how much of a lead Colson has on them, he could be arriving in Barcelona anywhere in the next nine hours. And from there, it was a short hop into Libya and certain death for Samantha Ryan and her son. With this information, Gibbs now has a plan and pats Tony on the shoulder, "Good work, DiNozzo! McGee!" A moment later McGee appears in the doorway, holding his print powder and brush. "McGee, get ahold of MTAC, stat! Tell them we're on our way to Dulles and we need the fastest plane they got gassed up and ready for an emergency flight to Barcelona, Spain." As he is talking, he is heading for the door and McGee steps back quickly to get out of his way.

Gibbs stops suddenly to look back into the office at the stunned faces of Tony and Ziva. His frustration is showing as he gives them an exasperated sigh and orders, "What?! I said 'WE'. Are you two waiting for an invitation?! Come on!" They both jump up and hurry after their boss, grinning at the opportunity to accompany him on the overseas mission. Tony dumps some papers into McGee's arms as he hurries past, ignoring the look of disappointment on McGee's face. McGee sighs his own frustration at being left behind to process the house as he repeats his orders, "Right, fast plane to Barcelona Spain out of Dulles... for three. And I'll just... I'll just stay here and finish processing this whole house... by myself."

On the way to Dulles the car is silent as Gibbs formulates a plan of attack in his head. They don't have time to pack anything other than the weapons they are carrying, but he has his 'emergency bag' in the trunk. He knows Tony and Ziva have their gear bags as well and if he taught them anything at all, it was always to be prepared. He hoped that meant they had a change of clothes and some other necessary items in their bags like he did.

His thoughts once again drift to Samantha Ryan and he mentally speaks to her, 'Y_ou should have let me handle him for you, Doc.' _Gibbs then sighs and curses under his breath as he gives himself another mental head slap for breaking rule 47. Never play the 'I told you so game'.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER III

As they are boarding the military jet at Dulles Airport, Gibbs answers a call from McGee with important information that may just give them the edge in catching up to Colson. Apparently Colson hadn't flown directly to Barcelona as they suspected. He had flown to Dublin, no doubt to pick up his cohorts since he had to know the kidnapping of his ex-wife would end any chance he had of returning to Ireland... at least for a while. So, he had made a quick stop there to pick up his loyal followers before they took off for Barcelona, then on to Libya where they would be safe from extradition to any country.

A few hours into the flight, Gibbs relays this update to his agents and lays out his plan for their intercept once they land. "Apparently Colson felt the need to make a detour to Dublin instead of going directly to Barcelona as we thought. He's probably picking up his crew with the intention of using Libya as his base of operations for a while."

"Well, he has to know he couldn't just return to Ireland. Not after he snatches a high ranking official from the US Department of Defense, right boss?"

"That's the way I see it. We may just have gotten the break that will allow us to intercept him before he reaches Libya. McGee said he stayed in Dublin for about 5 hours before taking off and heading south. Our flight time to Barcelona is going to put us on the ground not too long after Colson's jet lands. "

Ziva is quick to calculate the flight times and finishes his thought for him, "So he should be landing in Barcelona about one hour before we get there."

Tony has now caught up with the context of her thought and adds, "Which means he'll need to refuel before taking off again for Libya. It should take over an hour to do that!"

"Let's hope so, DiNozzo. I'm counting on catching Colson flat footed at the Barcelona airport. His plane is a small jet that doesn't have a huge fuel capacity. I'm hoping we'll catch him sitting on his plane at the pump. Now, once we're within Barcelona air space, I want the pilot to radio the tower and explain our situation. Have the local police standing by and tell them that whatever they do... that jet is NOT to take off again."

Tony gets up and goes to the cockpit to relay Gibbs' orders for their arrival. He spends a few moments talking to the pilot and co-pilot about the plane, its air speed and fuel capacity... just in case something goes wrong and they miss Colson at the Barcelona airport. He knows Gibbs will be irate and wouldn't care that they are flying on fumes, but he is relieved when the pilot tells him they carry enough fuel to make it to Barcelona and half way back again. There is more than enough fuel for them to land in Barcelona and take off again without refueling. When Tony asks them how they feel about landing in Libya, both men turn back to stare at him with disbelief on their faces. Tony simply shrugs and heads back to his seat.

As the wheels touch down on the Barcelona runway, Gibbs' military jet has already received authorization to taxi directly to the area where Colson's jet is parked. As they come to a stop, Gibbs impatiently jerks the cabin door release and flings the door outward. The stairs are slow to fold out so he rides the expanding steps out and then jumps down the last three feet to the tarmac. His team follow suit and are quickly met by Spanish military escorts. Ziva takes the lead since her Spanish is the European Castilian style instead of the South American dialect. She quickly greets the commander of their escort and learns that the jet they seek has not been allowed to leave as requested. The Commandante motions with his hand towards a Lear jet in the distance, which is currently surrounded by several dark green military style trucks.

Gibbs has a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach as he takes off running towards the jet, leaving a surprised group of Spanish soldiers in his wake. Ziva is quick to explain their urgency as she follows after her boss, along with Tony and their escorts. Gibbs is the first to reach the jet, which has the steps down and the cabin door open. He is heading for the steps when another Spanish soldier steps in front of him, obviously taking his orders to secure the plane seriously. Gibbs comes to a quick halt in front of him, gasping for air as he racks his brain for the Spanish words, "Elle mujera? Y el niño? Esta Aqui?!"

The soldier shakes his head no, indicating either he understood and they are not here... or Gibbs' translation was not accurate. By this time, Ziva and Tony have reached him and they both begin rapid Spanish questions to the soldier, who again shakes his head no and replies that no, only the plane is here as they requested. Gibbs understands and growls out his frustration as he turns on the Commandante, barking out his questions in English as he jabs his finger angrily at the apparently vacant jet.

"Where are they?! The woman? The boy?!"

Ziva quickly translates the questions and the Commandante looks a bit taken aback as he realizes he may have just screwed up an international incident with the United States. He rubs the back of his neck, then opts to take the path of ignorance; claiming he had not been instructed to stop the passengers, just the jet. He motions to the jet and adamantly insists he followed his instructions to the letter since the jet was in fact still here.

Tony looks from the Commandante to his boss and realizes bloodshed could be only moments away from the fury seething out of Gibbs' eyes. He is barely able to contain his rage at this latest screw up and Tony quickly intervenes by stepping in front of Gibbs to address the Commandante directly. "Cuantos largo?!" With a shrug, the Commandante admits, "No se, treinte, cuarenta minutes, mas o menos?" Tony spins around to face Gibbs, holding up a hand as if expecting to be struck when he sees the rage in Gibbs' eyes.

"Boss, we can still do this! They left thirty or forty minutes ago!"

"Where, DiNozzo! Where?!

While he had been talking to his boss, Ziva had taken over the questioning in a more diplomatic fashion that wasn't as likely to get a refusal when they asked for further assistance from the Spanish military. She thanks the Commandante for his time, adding a quick smile and a brush of her hand down his arm to ensure he felt he was a valued part of this operation. She then turns back to Gibbs and Tony to report, "The Commandante said they were in a hurry to leave and when they were told the jet was not going anywhere they asked for other options to leave the country. The Commandante advised they could rent a car at the airport and suggested the Port of Barcelona was a mere three miles from the airport where water transportation could be leased or purchased from the Escola Europea De Linea Short Sea Shipping.

Gibbs quickly nods, jerking his finger towards the jet and asking, "Por Favor?" The Commandante nods and waves to the soldier guarding the ramp. He steps aside and the three NCIS agents board the plane to examine what has been left behind. As they are scouring the interior for some clue as to where they may have gone, Ziva notices that the onboard telephone has been left out of its cradle. Taking a chance that Colson used the phone to make a call, she picks up the receiver and hits redial. A moment later a woman answers and identifies the Escola Europea Shipping Company. Ziva's quick wit proves invaluable as she quickly pretends to be the caller who had called to arrange passage on a ship about an hour ago. The woman seems confused and then says yes, but it had not been passage or a rental. The woman confirms that the yacht purchased by Senor Colson had been fueled up and stocked for immediate departure as requested. She pauses a moment and then returns to the line to say that the yacht had already been picked up and had sailed out of their yard about twenty minutes ago.

Ziva hangs up on the confused receptionist and turns to see Gibbs and Tony staring at her expectantly. "He purchased a yacht in his own name and ordered it stocked and fueled up to leave immediately. She said they left their dock about twenty minutes ago, Gibbs. Depending on sea conditions and the yacht's speed, it would take about twelve to fifteen hours for them to reach Libyan waters."

Gibbs doesn't question how she knows this since they are literally in her back yard where she lived and worked for the Israeli Mossad. He sighs in relief and pats her on the shoulder, "That's the first good news I've heard today. What do you think our odds are in getting the Commandante out there to supply us a fast military boat so we can intercept them while they're still in international waters?"

Both Tony and Ziva exchange a glance then turn back to Gibbs as Tony tilts his head towards Ziva and suggests, "No offense boss, but our chances are probably a whole lot better if you let Ziva do the asking. Honey attracts more favors than fists do... if you know what I mean?" Gibbs glares at them for a moment then realizes he has a point. Gibbs was too close to this thing and he was losing his objectivity. He nods his approval and Ziva hurries outside to speak to the Commandante about their need for a fast boat.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER IV

Apparently Ziva was skilled at diplomatic negotiations because within a few minutes they were in a military truck, racing to the Harbor where one of the Spanish coast guard ships was standing by for them. El Capitan Juarez de Marco had been briefed by the Commandante and had already instructed his men to start sweeping the Mediterranean Sea for a possible match to the forty-two foot yacht, _La Manana. _Taking into account the size, rigging and sea conditions the men of the coast guard cutter were able to estimate the yacht's approximate course and location as it made a beeline due east towards the point of Tunisia and beyond to Libyan waters.

Gibbs had his face set in a mask of stern concentration as the coast guard cutter cut loose with the third blast of its air horn, warning all water traffic to heave to and let them pass as they made their way quickly out of the protection of Barcelona's main harbor. Once out on the open water, Gibbs took up a post on the bow, hands clutching the railing as his eyes scanned the deep blue of the Mediterranean Sea. It had been over twenty hours since he'd had any sleep, and only four hours prior to that, having just caught a few hours after Sam left him early yesterday morning. The information that she'd disappeared and the rush to catch up with her abductors had taken he and his crew half way around the world, but he couldn't give in to the jetlag or the fatigue. Not until they caught up with Colson's yacht and got Sam and Parker back before that Irish militant bastard had a chance to make it into Libyan waters and safety.

It certainly wasn't going to mean safety to Dr. Samantha Ryan or her son, Parker. They were nothing more than pawns in an international terrorist's game plan. Liam Colson would seek his personal revenge while regaining some crucial credibility with the Libyan rebels he had hooked up with. Having his own wife turn on him and expose his terrorist network had damaged his standing with the international terrorist groups and he desperately needed to gain that respect back or he might as well just go back to prison. He needed their support, especially now that he'd burned any chance of operating out of his home base in Northern Ireland. It was a sacrifice, but one worth taking in order to get back at his bitch of an ex-wife who always thought she was smarter than everyone. Well he'd shown her who was smarter. The look on her face when she came in last night, to see him standing there with an arm around their son. Shock, disbelief, fear and confusion because she just couldn't figure out how he had managed to get out of prison and find her.

He had been looking forward to that moment for seven long years and the more she tried to hide her fear behind a mask of superiority, the more he wanted to beat her into submission. He'd thrust Parker at his associate, a long time loyal soldier in their war. Then he stepped up to her, ripping her briefcase from her hands in case she had taken to carrying a weapon. She'd cringed then, knowing what was coming and he hadn't disappointed her. Seven years of anger came to the surface as he backhanded her across the face, sending her reeling against the hall table. A few more well place strikes across her face and she no longer looked superior as she cringed on the floor beside the overturned table. It had hurt him momentarily when he turned back to his son and saw the tears and the hatred in his eyes.

The son he'd named Patrick, after his own father. The son who had been stolen from him at such a young age and now didn't even know him. The son who's whole identity had been changed; what kind of a name was Parker? What other crap had she put into his head? Filling him with lies about his father and making him afraid to even look him in the eye. He had hoped to bring his son back into the fold, mold him into one of his own freedom fighters, but after only a short time with him, Colson knew this would never happen. Jamie... or Samantha as she called herself now, had poisoned his young mind against everything Colson stood for. His son was dead to him, just like his mother was... and soon they would both be dead for good at the hands of his Libyan associates.

He looks down at the pair, lying trussed up like a couple of parcels, hands, feet and mouths taped up to keep them from causing any trouble. He had enjoyed putting his wife in her place and now, looking at her bruised and swollen eye, he felt intense satisfaction. He just wished he had more time to indulge in the one activity he's dreamed about for the past seven years... torturing this bitch until she begged him to end her life. As soon as they made it to the safety of Ghudamas, the remote desert city and training camp near the Algerian border, he could take his time and indulge in that desire.

An evil sneer curls his lip up and Samantha dares to glance quickly up at him through her lashes. She knew that look and was filled with dread at what she knows is going through is mind. The past twenty-four hours have been a nightmare come true for her; knowing how evil her ex-husband can be. She had been stunned to see him there last night, standing in her front hallway with his arm around their son like the past seven years had never passed. Then when he approached her, she saw the rage glinting in his eyes just before he struck her; and she'd known this was not going to end well. She said a quick prayer that perhaps he would take his rage out on her and leave their son alone, but that had been a futile thought with Liam's first words to her, "Hello Dear... what have you done to my son?! You bitch! You turned him against me!"

After his initial rage had been vented on her, Sam's main concern had been for Parker. He had been crying and struck out in anger at the man who had inflicted pain on her. Without a moment's hesitation, Liam had backhanded his own son, sending Parker crumbling to the floor beside her. Fighting through her own pain, she had quickly pulled him to her, putting her body between Parker and the vengeful father standing over them. Liam had glared down at them, obviously intent on inflicting more punishment, but a softly spoken warning from Donel Riley, his trusted second in command had stopped him. He had looked back to his friend and nodded, then turned back to give Sam one last vicious kick to her abdomen, just to let her know what was to come. Liam and Donel had quickly bound and gagged them before making their exit from her house... the home she had foolishly begun to think would be a permanent home for them.

Quickly diverting her gaze from Colson, Samantha was careful not to incite his anger and initiate another beating. She'd already done that once when she glared angrily at him for something cruel he'd said to Parker. She glances at her son now, the shattered, terrified look in his eyes breaks her heart and she tries to convey with her eyes that she was there for him... that she would protect him with her life. She hopes he understood, but the tears that well up in his eyes left her with no doubt he understood their fate as well as she did.


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER V

Tony finds Gibbs standing in the e location along the railing on the bow of the ship, staring intently at the empty horizon ahead of them. He moves a cup of steaming coffee into his line of sight, breaking his concentration. When Gibbs takes the cup, he makes eye contact with his senior agent, "Thanks."

"Captain says we should have them in sight in another half hour. We're steaming at thirty knots and the yacht's top speed is only twenty to twenty-three knots."

"We made good time. How long have we been on board anyway? Have you gotten any rest?"

"About nine hours, boss. It's been one hell of a long trip. I got a few hours of shut eye in the lounge. Ziva is just coming around after about four or five hours herself. What about you?"

Gibbs takes a long drink of the steaming hot brew, appreciating the rich, fortifying drink as he feels it pouring much needed energy into his soul. He shakes his head and turns back to scan the horizon as he grumbles, "I'll sleep when I make sure Sam and Parker are safe and Colson is dead, Tony... not before."

"Don't you mean... when Colson is in custody?"

"If you haven't noticed, these are international waters, Tony. US laws don't apply here... and before you start lecturing me, don't. This asshole is going down. The only question is how much is he going to suffer before he does."

"And that would depend on what condition we find Dr. Ryan and her son in, I am assuming?"

"Something like that. You and Ziva don't need to be..." He is cut off by a sharp and totally unexpected head slap from his best agent. Tony had acted instinctively, but as Gibbs now turns angry eyes on him, he steps back a bit before he voices his reprimand.

"You need to hold that thought right there, boss... cause Ziva and I are in this too. We've always had your back and that ain't gonna change now so don't even say shit like that." He glares right back at Gibbs to let him know he is serious. Gibbs holds his gaze for a long moment, then concedes the point and nods at Tony, placing a hand on the younger man's shoulder in support.

"I know you do, Tony, you always have. I was just offering you an option, but I'm glad you're with me on this." Tony just nods and they turn back to scan the horizon together, a closer bond between them now. They stand there in silence for a few moments, sipping their coffee, until Tony's innate curiosity gets the better of him again.

"So, tell me, Agent Gibbs, you love her?"

There is a long pause and Tony is beginning to think Gibbs is going to ignore his personal question. Then Gibbs drains his cup and sighs heavily as he replies, "I never thought I'd love anyone again... after Shannon. I threw myself in to my work and eventually met Jenny and... well, she was just irresistible. After it ended in Paris, I was pretty broken up and it led to three marriages to women I tried to make into substitutes for her. As you know that didn't work out."

"Yes, she was irresistible ." Tony glances over to see Gibbs giving him a strange look and quickly explains, "In a generally lovable way. She was tough, but at the same time she made you want to protect her."

"That she did. I still miss her... I regret never rebuilding that relationship after she came back as the director. Would have, but she made it clear from the beginning she was the boss and that was the way she wanted it... nothing more."

"I have to disagree with you there, boss. You never saw the way she looked at you... the way she worried about you when you took your hiatus to Mexico. She never let it show, but she loved you too."

"Well, that's a regret I have to live with. Then I met the second woman in my lifetime that set me off my game. Samantha challenged me at every turn... just like Jenny had. I wasn't looking for it, but that's when it hits you, DiNozzo... when you're not looking."

Tony studies his boss for a long moment, surprised that they were actually having this personal conversation. It must be the fatigue he saw etching his boss's features that caused the normally tight lipped marine to loosen up. He is happy for him and hopes they find Ryan and her son alive and well. His mouth quirks up in a grin as he adds, "I'm happy for you. She scares the hell out of me... but I'm happy for you, boss."

Gibbs glances over at him and sees the comical worry on his face and laughs out loud, feeling better than he has for two days now. With the tension broken they chuckle together and once again turn their attention back to the horizon, this time spotting the small white dot on the horizon at the same time.

Within minutes the crew of the military cutter has been mobilized to their battle stations and every gun was manned. Gibbs had raced to the bridge, with Tony and Ziva close behind to make sure the Captain knew there were hostages on that yacht that needed to be rescued, not blown out of the water. As the cutter pulled within hailing distance, the radio operator was on the air, in Spanish and English, demanding that the yacht heave to and prepare to be boarded by the Royal Army of Spain. They got no response from the yacht's occupants and with a quick consultation, the Captain ordered a shot across their bow as a warning. The guns boomed and a moment later the sea exploded in a geyser of spray about fifty feet in front of the yacht. Still no response from the yacht and Gibbs was envisioning the worst. He knew they had to get aboard that boat, and soon.

He motions towards the rear of the yacht, knowing enough about yachts to understand where the engine room was located and that the cabins were forward. He just prayed Colson had put his hostages in one of the forward cabins and not the engine room. The Captain consented and ordered the fifty caliber gunner to put a few rounds into the yacht's aft exposure, just above the waterline. A moment later there was a sharp report as the large machine gun tattooed off several rounds.

An explosion of fiberglass and debris flew into the air and smoke began billowing out of the holes. The yacht quickly began to lose speed and was shortly sitting dead in the water. That did not, however, mean surrender to those on board. As the cutter pulled alongside, gun fire could be heard coming from the yacht and the armed soldier's answered in kind. One man, Donel, was shot several times and vaulted off the upper deck in a dead fall into the sea. Gibbs wondered if that was Colson as he and he team waited impatiently for the gunfire to die down.

When several seconds passed and no more shots were fired from the yacht, two soldiers with machine guns jumped over the railing, shimmying down a rope ladder to the deck of the disabled yacht. They quickly searched the deck and secured it for Gibbs, Tony and Ziva to follow. Once on board, Gibbs took command and ordered the soldiers to hold their positions. He motioned silently for Ziva to move forward above deck while he and Tony entered the yacht to search below decks. They had no communication gear, but years of working together had molded them into a well oiled machine and no words were necessary. They moved silently through the passages, clearing every cabin and hiding place because they had no idea how many men Colson had brought with him. They had no way of knowing he had left all but his second in command in Barcelona with instructions to gather necessary gear before following him to Libya.

Ziva made her search of the main deck, lounge and bridge without encountering anyone. She did find the discarded weapon from the man shot dead, now floating a ways away in the sea. She picked it up quickly and slung the strap over her head, rotating the rifle to her back to secure the weapon while keeping it out of her way. She was just about to move onto a forward open deck that had a bank of windows low across the structure. Something made her stop, years of training and instinct told her that danger lurked below decks and the windows would expose her to it. She crouched low and peeked around the corner, spying what appeared to be a sleeping cabin. She immediately saw Dr. Ryan and her son, huddled on the floor beside the bed. They were bound and gagged, unable to move in any way.

Then a movement caught her eye and she leaned a bit further in to see a man's legs standing near the doorway. He was facing away from her, towards the door, as if expecting a threat to come from that direction. His actions were jerky and quick and Ziva correctly assumed the man was feeling cornered and was therefore very dangerous. She looks back at the captives and is surprised to see Dr. Ryan looking up at her. She smiles quickly to acknowledge her and then holds up five fingers in the hopes Dr. Ryan understood what she was trying to say. Ryan carefully nods her head, but not subtly enough to keep her captor from seeing the motion.

Colson suddenly swung around, pointing his rifle at her head and screaming at her. "What was that?! Who did you signal?!"

Dr. Ryan just lowers her head, not daring to look at her ex-husband in fear that it will cause him to do something drastic, like kill her and Parker before he has to surrender. Colson is like a cornered lion, unpredictable and deadly and her only hope is they can distract him from herself and her son... and soon.

Colson spins around again, this time towards the windows and catches a glimpse of Ziva's hair as she jerks back from the window. Her Mossad training kicks in as she flips her body backwards, somersaulting back along the exposed side deck as a burst of bullets come flying through the fiberglass skin of the yacht's cabin wall. The shots narrowly miss her and she quickly scurries back further to avoid a second burst, but it doesn't come. Colson may be cornered and unpredictable, but he was a seasoned soldier and he knew all about ammunition discipline. He wasn't about to waste ammunition on an unseen target.

Outside the forward cabin, Gibbs and Tony are moving slowly along, clearing every room. They instinctively hit the floor when the rapid burst of shots if fired from nearby. Unaware of what is going on behind the closed door of the forward cabin, Gibbs feels his heart leap in fear. He knows he should use caution, but before Tony can stop him, Gibbs is on his feet, charging at the cabin door. He kicks it hard, in the same motion, dropping to his knees in the door way to lower himself as a target and to keep the door from bouncing back shut again.

In an instant, he takes in the large cabin with the bed, dresser and chairs. He also sees two huddled forms on the floor at the foot of the bed, but no one else is present in the room. He knows Tony is right behind him and doesn't dare take his eyes off the room as they slowly enter. His eyes drop for one quick instant to meet Sam's and he has the answer he needs. Her muffled moan of protest as he steps forward, warning him that Colson is behind her is unnecessary. Gibbs has his gun trained on the opposite side of the bed as he orders Colson out.

"It's over Colson... stand up with your hands in the air."

In reply, Sam groans as the barrel of Colson's machine gun jabs her cruelly in the back. She is thrown forward slightly, but her eyes never leave Gibbs' face. Colson finally makes his presence known, "I don't think so. As you can see, I can easily slice this bitch in half at this close range! I suggest you drop your weapons and back out of here... NOW!"

"I heard you were a coward, Liam. Hiding behind women and children... is that an IRA technique?"

Gibbs sees Sam's look of fear at his intentional taunting of her very volatile ex-husband. She can't believe he is doing this! Tony on the other hand, seems to be on board with the plan and steps up even with his boss, a few feet between them so they have good angles on the man hiding behind the bed.

"You know boss, I don't think this guy's all they made him out to be... I mean, I've never heard of any IRA bad ass hiding on his knees behind a bed. Have you?" Tony never takes his eyes off the dark shadow behind the bed, but he can see Ziva has moved back into position above near the now shattered windows. If they can get Colson to bring his head up, Ziva will have a clean shot... that is if she can pull the trigger before Gibbs empties his gun into him. "Actually, boss, I think this guy is more like one of those peace loving Protestants, don't you?"

"I don't know, Tony... I've always found the Irish, northern or southern, to be cowards. All they know how to do... with any success, is plant a few car bombs and drink a lot of beer. And we ain't got any cars around here for about a thousand miles, I'd say..."

At that, Colson can't take the verbal debasing any longer. He suddenly pops up onto his knees, but is careful to keep the barrel of his rifle pointed at the back of Samantha's head. She ducks her head lower, trying to get away from the pressure of the cold steel on her scalp, but Colson just jabs it harder into her head.

"Don't think I won't kill her! And the boy! And all of you as well! I'm prepared to die for my cause! Are you?!"

Without a moment's hesitation or sound, all three NCIS agents fire their weapons in rapid succession at Colson. He is hit multiple times, jerking back and to the left as the gun barrel snaps up in reaction to a round cleanly placed in his right temple by Agent David. He is dead before his reflexes can squeeze the trigger and he falls with a thud. Tony is quickly around the bed, standing over the man as he grabs the gun out of his reach and ensures he is really dead.

Gibbs leaves the securing of the scene to his agents and is on his knees before Sam and Parker in an instant. He carefully removes the tape from her mouth first, then leans over to remove it from her son as she vents her fear in the form of a reprimand, "What were you thinking!? Taunting him like that very well could have gotten us killed!"

Gibbs stops in his efforts to untie her wrists as he glances into her eyes, seeing the fear for her son, her frustration and mostly her relief. He grins at her and shrugs as he casually says, "Nah, I never met an Irishman who wasn't spoiling for a fight when they were insulted. Too much blarney, I guess." She just stares at him in disbelief, his calm joking smile shakes her out of her responsive anger and she can't help but smile back at him and tease, "Now who's the head-gamer, Agent Gibbs?"

Gibbs continues to remove their bindings and then returns his attention to Sam as he gently touches her swollen eye and gently asks, "You okay, Doc?" She nods, too emotional at his concern to speak without bursting into tears. Gibbs understands and turns his attention to her son, "How about you? You all right, Parker?"

"Yes, Sir... my wrists just hurt a bit." He holds up his wrists to show they are bleeding and raw from his constant attempts to pull his hands free. Sam is concerned as she staggers unsteadily to her feet, but Gibbs is one step ahead of her. He helps steady her with one hand while he helps Parker to his feet. He leads them out of the cabin to get them away from the gruesome sight of death, as he barks out orders.

"Ziva, let our friends know the boat is secure! Tony, help Parker back to the cutter and make sure he's checked out by the medical staff." Parker gives one worried look back at his mother and she is about to follow when Gibbs puts a restraining hand on her arm. He nods to Parker, indicating he should go on ahead, then waits with Sam in the doorway to another cabin as they watch the others go above deck.

"Come on, Parker, I'll help you up the rope ladder."


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER VI

Samantha's frustration boils over the moment they are alone. She suddenly turns to Gibbs and vents her pent up fear and frustration on him by swatting him in the chest as she demands, "What the hell is wrong with you?! Taunting a mad man like that?! He could have...!"

Instead of answering her questions, Gibbs suddenly pushes her back against the cabin wall and kisses her hard. She is shocked into silence for a moment, but as he starts to release her lips, she starts in again, "Gibbs if you think...!" Gibbs sighs heavily and brings one hand up to her jaw. His fingers curl around her throat as if he'd like to strangle her, but then he presses his thumb to her mouth, shutting off her words.

"Just once... Doc... can you just _not_ say anything? Just this one time?"

Samantha stares at him, realizing she had been in the midst of an adrenaline induced tirade. Their eyes remain locked for a long moment before she responds with a slight nod of her head underneath his controlling hand. Gibbs takes advantage of her silence to get his other point across also.

"And the next time I tell you to let me handle it... just let me handle it!"

Her mouth flies open in instant retort, but she catches the warning glint in his eyes, realizing he is keeping a tight rein on his own anger, fear and fatigue. Having just chased her around the world to rescue her and Parker. She knew he hadn't hesitated to come and would do it again... but right now wasn't the time to discuss that. She finally lowers her eyes from his in a submissive gesture and nods again, conceding his point. After a long moment he leans in to kiss her brow, then gently tilts her head back up so he can kiss her properly.

This kiss is much more gentle and starts out slow and sweet, but increases in passion as Gibbs finally vents his emotions. Samantha moans softly, overwhelmed at being thoroughly kissed as his tongue delves deeply in search of her own. She is on the verge of forgetting they are on a yacht in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea with her ex-husband lying dead in the next cabin. She finally forces herself to remember there are others not far away and whimpers softly and pushes him back, just far enough to end the kiss. His eyes are the same intense dark blue as the sea around them and her heart flutters at his next words, "Don't ever scare me like that again... God, I thought I lost you!"

This is the closest Agent Gibbs, the man who rarely let his emotions out, has been to expressing his true feelings in a long time. She can see them in his eyes and smiles as her fingers gently curl up around his neck. "I love you too... and thank you for saving us."

This time she is the one to draw him in close and kiss him with a passion best left to another time. They forget about their location and the circumstances for a while, letting each kiss blend into the next. Then a twinge of pain, as his hand passes close to her swollen eye, causes her to gasp and pull back. Gibbs instantly looks worried as he gently examines the injury with his fingertips.

She stands still, allowing him to look it over, even though she wants to tell him it's nothing. She opts for a more diplomatic approach, "Gibbs... I need to go check on Parker."

"We need to go check on Parker... and get you looked at..." She again starts to argue, but he gives her a stern look that makes her once again clamps her mouth shut, biting off her retort. With her silence he continues, "... because I'm not gonna let you out of my sight ever again, woman."

"Well, we'll talk about that... later." He can't help but smile at the way she looks up at him through her lashes as her independent nature pops out again.

He knows she isn't the submissive type and honestly, he wouldn't want her any other way. It was her independence that intrigued him. Making this work between them will be a work in progress. He shakes his head and teases, "It's never gonna be easy with you, is it, Sam?"

"I'll see what I can do to work on that, Jethro... but for now, can we go check on Parker?" Her admission that she was willing to compromise brings another smile to his face as he steps back and takes her hand. They head up to the main deck where he helps her onto the military cutter.

The Spanish Naval ship had secured the yacht, towing it along behind them as they made their way back to Barcelona. El Capitan Juarez de Marco was pleased with the way his crew had responded to the American crisis. They had performed to the best of his expectations and he could not wait to relay the details to Commandante Felix. A quick radio contact was made to advise them the mission had been a success and they were bringing back the yacht with two bodies on ice. He saved the best details, how his gunners had blown the yacht's engine apart and saved the hostages for his personal report. What he didn't know was the yacht, which had cost one million Euro, was now a seized watercraft valued at near zero.

Juarez de Marco did not have time for small details such as that. He was too concerned with making sure his American passengers had only good things to say about him and his ship. He had been told the woman was a high ranking American official and rescuing her was bound to get him a promotion. But just in case, he wanted his guests to be very comfortable and ordered his crew to offer them every amenity his ship could provide.

The trip back to port took a bit longer since they were towing the disabled yacht now. This gave Gibbs and his crew time to catch up on some much needed sleep. Samantha Ryan and her son were also exhausted by their ordeal and she felt it best if Parker slept with her. After all, he was traumatized by the whole thing and being on a new ship, surrounded by strangers was intimidating him more. She was aware of Tony and Ziva, pretending not to listen to their conversation in the lounge. She chose to ignore the way they exchanged glances while she and Gibbs spoke. They were aware of her relationship with their boss even though they had been careful to keep it away from work.

Gibbs was aware of them as well and chose not to voice his disappointment in her decision. It was for his own selfish reasons and he understood. Parker may be a teenager, but he was still a child and being kidnapped and dragged halfway around the world was traumatic... not to mention having your father shot dead right in front of you. Ever since they had returned to the ship, Parker had been silently watching him. He wondered if he harbored anger at him for killing his father; even though his father was about to turn them over to be tortured and killed by terrorists. He made a conscious note to work harder at winning Parker over, since he had no intention of backing off on this relationship with his mother. He walked them to their assigned cabin and waited until they were safely inside the door. Then, just for reassurance, he motioned to the next cabin and reminded them he would be right next door if they needed him. Sam smiled at him; Parker did not.

By the time they had arrived back at Barcelona, Gibbs had a plan, but for now he kept it to himself. He had details to arrange and a debriefing with Commandante Felix to get through before they were free to leave Spain. He knew it would soothe a lot of ruffled international feathers when he suggested that the Spanish military seize the Lear Jet as well as the yacht, which needed quite a lot of repair work. This made their participation seem worthwhile and on top of that, Dr. Ryan had assured them the President of the United States was most grateful to them and would be extending his gratitude at a later date.


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER VII

It had been a week since they had all returned to the Washington, tired, but triumphant. In typical Gibbs fashion, he gave a brief and concise report to Director Vance; leaving out the emotional side. There was no reason to tell Vance that he had purposely taunted Colson into a confrontation so he could kill him. He was pretty sure Vance knew that this would never be over if Colson was sent back to prison. Samantha Ryan would just have to keep looking over her shoulder for the next time he managed to get out... and he would have. Gibbs knew that type of determination; he knew what it was like to go to any lengths to revenge a wrong.

What had surprised him was the way Sam's son, Parker had reacted to him after the killing of his father. Parker had never been openly friendly to Gibbs during the few months prior to this incident, but he had started to warm up to him. Now, Parker seemed to watch him constantly, he followed him everywhere and made sure he was never far from Gibbs' side on their trip home. They had yet to talk about what happened, but Sam had mentioned that it would come in time. She figured it was just Parker's insecurity and his need for reassurance.

Gibbs didn't want to push him, but let him know casually that he wanted Parker with him. After their return home, Gibbs spent quite a bit of time at Sam's home, making improvements to her security system, re-enforcing the doors, locks, windows, etc. He didn't really think any of Colson's men would attempt anything, but he wanted to make Sam and Parker feel safe. Parker wasn't much help with the work, but he was always there, attentive and watching everything Gibbs did.

So while working on his projects, Gibbs started to casually talk to the boy; sometimes just explaining what he was doing. Other times asking him to hand him a tool, or help him by holding a part in place. Sam saw what he was doing and was careful to stay back, give them some space to do 'guy things' together. Then one evening, at the end of that first week back, Parker surprised them both over dinner.

"Well, I'm gonna clean up my tools for the night and head on home. Thanks for the..."

"Why?" Parker's sudden question stops Gibbs' as he is standing up from the table. They both heard the strain in his young voice and look at him now.

"Why, what, Parker?" His mother's voice breaks through his focus on Gibbs and the boy finally turns his eyes to her. He seems worried and fidgets with his napkin for a moment before he gets up the courage to say what's on his mind.

"Why does he have to leave? Every day... he's here making the house safer, but he's not done yet. Why do you have to leave?"

There is a long silence as Gibbs and Sam look to each other; silently acknowledging that the time has come that they have discussed in private many times. Samantha takes a deep calming breath, knowing she can't appear nervous about this, but she doesn't get the chance to respond as Gibbs takes the lead.

"Do you want me to stay, Parker?"

His eyes fixate on the calm blue eyes of the man he has come to see as the pinnacle of his stability since their terrifying incident. He's never known his father, but he's imagined how the perfect dad would be... and its Gibbs. He finds calm strength in the intense blue eyes and nods, "Yes... I mean, if you want to... everything is... good... when you're here."

Again there is a moment of tension as Gibbs studies the teenager and Sam's eyes dart nervously between the two of them. After a moment, Gibbs defuses the situation by seriously nodding his head and responding, "Okay, if that's what you want... yea, I can stay. What do you say, Sam? You okay with this?"

Samantha suddenly finds two sets of eyes on her now, putting her on the spot. She knew there would come a time when she would have to introduce Gibbs into their home life if she wanted their relationship to progress, but she didn't expect it to be thrust upon her in this way. She looks from her son's cautiously expectant gaze to Gibbs and sees the humor dancing in his eyes. He's telling her without words that it's time to stop running, stop holding back and make that commitment to him... to their relationship. She feels herself flushing under his intense gaze and quickly looks back to Parker to break the spell. "Aahh, sure, Parker. Jethro can stay... for a while."

"Overnight? I mean, it's not like you guys aren't hookin... I mean dating, right?" he had been about to use the terminology from his classmates 'hookin-up', but the sudden crease in Gibbs' brow at the term had him opting for a more acceptable word.

Samantha had been taking a sip of her wine and now almost chokes on it, causing Gibbs to grin over at her, then at her son happy to finally have this out in the open. "You are right about that, Parker... although I don't think your mom appreciated your choice of words."

They both look to Samantha who is dabbing her lips and trying to act normal, even though her pink cheeks give away her embarrassment. When her eyes move from one to the other she tries to change the subject. "Parker, you know I don't like that kind of language."

"But it is true... Mom, I'm not a little kid. I do have eyes, you know. I've seen..."

Before she can comment on a conversation that neither she nor Gibbs is ready for, Gibbs takes pity on her and steps in to distract her son from his inquisition. "Yea, so we've noticed. Come on, help me put the tools away." Gibbs stands up and heads out of the room, followed quickly by Parker and leaving a bewildered Dr. Ryan sitting at the table wondering when her son suddenly turned from a child into a young man.

Later that night, after Parker has retired to his room to play his video games... or so he said. Gibbs sits on the sofa with his feet up on the coffee table, pretending to watch the news, while he waits for Sam to bring up the topic again. He can tell by the tension in her and the way she's nibbling on her lower lip that she has something on her mind. When she remains silent, Gibbs finally breaks the ice, "He's a smart kid, Sam."

"I know, but he's just a boy... when did he suddenly get so... worldly?" She looks at him, truly concerned about her son's new attitude. Gibbs can tell she isn't joking and he holds out his hand to her; silently bidding her to come sit with him. After a moment she complies, still feeling a bit strange about doing this in her home, with Parker present.

When she is settled by his side, with his arm around her, Gibbs gently kisses her temple and explains, "Sam, he's just been through a terrifying situation, kidnapped, dragged around the world, threatened and more importantly seen you assaulted... repeatedly by Colson. He's never known a father figure and I think in light of things, he handled it extremely well for a boy of his age. He's had what every boy goes through... that moment when you realize you can't remain a child forever and you have to step up and be a man."

She sighs, knowing he is right, but still feeling anxiety that her son is suddenly growing up too fast. She lays her head on his shoulder and gives him credit for his insight, "You're pretty damned good at psycho-analyzing people, you know."

"Nah, I'm just observant... and I happen to be a man. I know what he's going through."

"You are a man... you're his hero, you know... for rescuing us... and he worships you at the moment."

"What I want is for you to worship me at the moment, Doc. What do you say we turn in for the night?" He casually deflects her compliments as he wraps his arms around her, drawing her into an embrace as his lips find hers. His kisses are slow and gentle, but when she finally pulls back her eyes are glowing as she breathlessly voices her worries.

"I... we can't... Jethro... I don't know..."

"Don't know what, Sam?"

"Well, if we should... you know, do that here. .. you know, I have a hard time being quiet... when we're together..."

Gibbs grins at her, loving the flush to her cheeks as she tries to tell him that he makes her scream out his name repeatedly every time they make love. He pulls her closer, nibbling at her ear as he chuckles softly and whispers, "Well, I guess we'll have to work on keeping you quiet then, won't we?"

She can't help but shiver at his words, wondering what he has in mind. He doesn't elaborate and instead stands up and pulls her to her feet, holding her hand as he leads her up the stairs to the room he is about to enter for the first time.

Lying in her bed was enough to get Gibbs excited, he'd been dreaming of this moment for weeks, even more so after he'd stood on the threshold wondering if he'd ever get the chance to hold her again. Since their return, Sam had been very protective of Parker, not wanting to leave him alone, even for a few hours so their time together had suffered. They were both in need of this night and Gibbs was going to make sure it was one they would both remember.

Face to face, bodies connected from head to toe, they spend long minutes just touching, whispering and igniting the flames they've put on hold recently. Gibbs takes his time in exploring her body, slowly touching her soft skin, paying special attention to those areas that elicit soft sighs from her at his touch. The lower curve of her belly, from the her hip down to her the curling hairs of her mound. Her flesh quivers as his fingers glide gently over her and a soft gasp escapes her throat. Her eyes flutter closed as she enjoys the tremors of anticipation.

"You're so sensitive to my touch," he whispers huskily and her eyes open to meet his. Her eyes are dark with desire as she leans in to nibble on his lower lip, drawing him into a slow deep kiss that leaves them both breathing harder. Her hand glides up to twine in his silvery hair, drawing him closer. Her leg curls up over his thigh, inviting a more intimate touch and she moans as his fingers slip lower to find her wet and ready for him. He growls against her lips, nipping her lip as he slips his two fingers inside her and another tremor shakes her. He thrusts his fingers firmly into her, rubbing in just the right spot and her body arches against him as she is about to cry out at the intense sensations rolling through her. Gibbs sees her losing conscious thought in the midst of her sensory overload, "Ssshhh... don't do it, honey."

Her eyes meet his in torment as the loud moan is swallowed up by his mouth as he kisses her long and hard. She moans desperately and urges him on, her leg curling around his hip as she rolls onto her back, taking him with her. Gibbs breaks the kiss to smile down at her as she draws her legs up high around his waist, in a silent plea for more. "You better not be laughing at me, Jethro... "

"Never... I just love seeing you lose control. I love being able to make you lose control. You're so damned hot when you let go."

She strokes his face gently for a moment, then draws him down for a slow, intense kiss; drawing his tongue into her mouth to gently stroke it. Gibbs feels his blood pounding through his veins as his shaft throbs impatiently. He groans and breaks away, gasping for air and it is her turn to smile up at him, "I've never had a man excite me the way you do... being with you is like the first time... you showing me how to relax, how to feel, how to let go... how to love you."

Their eyes hold for a long time, she knows her words hold a silent meaning and the intensity of his gaze tells her he understands. Then his mouth lowers to hers as he frames her head with his arms and kisses her multiple times, slow teasing kisses that have her aching for more. He arches his hips to her, gently stroking his shaft along her wet sex until she moans pleadingly against his lips. He finally pulls back to trail kisses down her throat, whispering huskily in between kisses.

"As much as I love to hear you crying out my name... I'm going to make you come long and hard... and silently."

And with this, he angles his hips and thrusts his shaft into her eager body. He nips her ear, reminding her to be silent as her arms curve up around his neck, holding on as he hesitates, then pushes still deeper. She moans softly, arching back as she always does as his hot thickness fills her. He sets up a rhythm of slow withdrawals, hesitation with just the hot satiny head inside her, then equally slow thrusts back in. Each time, he hesitates, then suddenly pushes deeper, causing a silent gasp from her lips. With each gasp, his mouth covers hers and she moans softly into the kiss, releasing the sound she can't hold in.

The spiraling waves building inside her increase with each thrust, flooding through her until she knows she can't hold on much longer. Gibbs feels her trembling in his arms and stops all movement as he lowers his head, finding her breast. He growls roughly as he draws it up with one hand, holding her captive as he hungrily mauls the sensitive peak. Sam arches up to him, lost in the new intense waves of pleasure coursing through her body. She is about to cry out, but stops as Gibbs covers her mouth with his fingers in a gentle reminder. Sam moans breathlessly and expresses her desperation by drawing his two fingers into her mouth, sucking on them with the equal intent he is showing her taut nipple.

Now it is Gibbs who stifles a husky groan as her caress causes an intense response down his spine to his shaft. He switches his torture from one breast to the other, trying to focus on his task while she is distracting him by slowly sliding his fingers in and out of her mouth, allowing her tongue to swirl erotically around them each time. It isn't long before he has to pull his hand back to avoid losing control himself. He brings his mouth back up to hers in a deep, hard kiss that tells her how close he is. When it ends their eyes meet and no words are needed as he once again begins thrusting deep and slow. He forces himself to go slowly, even though he's aching to drive into her hard and fast right now.

They are lost in the slow spiral of anticipation as he moves them with agonizing slowness towards the edge of the abyss they both crave. Slow, deep kisses stem the more frequent moans escaping her as she finds it harder and harder to contain her passion. Gibbs lowers his mouth to her ear and huskily whispers to her, "You're close... mmnn... I can feel it... you're so close..."

"Yes... oooh it feels so good... please... Jethro, please." She flutters feather light kisses along his jaw, pleading for the release only he can give her. He responds to her plea, but continues to torment her with the same slow, deep rhythm.

"You want it, don't you?" She moans softly into his ear in response and arches her hips up to him, but still he waits. "Baby, I want to give it to you... hard and deep... I want you to look at me... I want to see you come for me... ssshhh, quiet, now..." She opens her mouth to beg, but his words keep her silent. Her hand glides down his back, urging him on, but still his hips move slowly, driving his shaft deeply at an angle he knows will have her spiraling out of control. He rests on his elbows, holding her desperate gaze; watching the tidal wave build in her until she is trembling in anticipation. Then he stops, buried inside her and waits. Her mouth is open wide, her breath gasping as she is watches his mouth come down on hers, their eyes locked as he whispers, "That's it, come for me, baby", and with a gentle grind of his hips, she is swept away on an intense orgasm. Her fingers dig into his arms, holding on tightly as he drives in short hard thrusts, riding her orgasm until they both explode onto a new plain of awareness.

Gibbs drives one last time, hard and deep, before he stiffens above her; his mouth dropping to her in a rough, possessive hold. His teeth hold her prisoner as he growls low and deep in his chest. Her moans mingle with his as she buries her face in his neck, muffling what was too intense to hold in. She holds him close, trembling as she slowly floats back to reality. After several minutes, she begins to place kisses along his throat and shoulder, stroking his back as his breathing finally returns to normal.

"Wow."

"You're welcome."

"What was that? I'm mean... with you?"

Gibbs sighs and gently kisses her neck where his teeth held her, not sure if he should tell her the true reason, but knows he has no choice if they are to make this work. He tries to diffuse her seriousness, "Is that a complaint?"

"Not at all... I just didn't want to... misinterpret that... you."

He rolls to her side, bringing her with him as he relieves her of his weight. He pulls her in close so they are once again face to face. "You spend a lot of time interpreting other people, Sam."

"Yes, I do... it's my job." She wonders if he is angry at her for questioning him like that, at almost the moment they finished. She hadn't meant it as criticism... more of an interest in his new technique. After a long pause, Gibbs answers her.

"That was me, getting inside your head... finding the real you." She knows he is referring to her habit of holding back, not only her emotions, but her thoughts and even her real personality. She has done it for so long, it was just second nature to her now. "You can be the DOJ's calm, cool top head-gamer with everyone else... but not me, Sam."

He watches as her eyes drop from his, knowing he is right and she can't dispute it. He gives her a moment before he gently strokes his fingers down along her jaw and urges her to look up at him again. "This is you and me, Sam... I don't want walls between us."

"It's been a long time since I've been able to let go... and just be me." There are tears in her eyes and he knows how hard this is for her.

He kisses her nose gently and teases, "Like you were a little while ago?"

"I don't think I've ever been the person I am with you... thank you..." She smiles and kisses him gently, hoping he realizes how hard she wants to let go of her past. "... for knowing I needed that."

"You're welcome. It was pretty..."

"...intense, and amazing and perfect."

"Yes it was... but..." He feels her tense at his last word and lifts his head to grin down at her as he finishes his thought, "... but tomorrow I think I need to move the bed away from the wall." He chuckles as she comprehends his meaning and gasps in horror; thinking they may have telegraphed their actions to her son, in his room down the hall.

"Oh my God! Do you think he heard us?" She is suddenly worried about what they have done.

"Sam, he's a teenage boy... he has an idea what we're doing in here. After all, it was his idea that I spend the night. I just don't want to have to patch the damage to the wall."

"Maybe... if you used some restraint..." Her words trail off as he cocks one eyebrow at her in a silent reprimand. She can't help but giggle as he glares at her sternly, and then adds, "... not that you didn't use restraint..."

"I can restrain you... if that's what you want... then I'll rap out a Morse code message on that wall so loud your Pentagon buddies will be able to decipher it." He emphasizes his point by suddenly shifting back over her. He settles into the center of her being, thrusting his hips hard, driving his hard shaft into her once again. Sam moans softly, no longer amazed at his stamina. She learned early on he was a man of considerable talent in bed. She giggles and her eyes close for a moment at the tingle of pleasure, then she wraps her arms around his neck to draw him down to her.

"I must be in love with you, because that doesn't sound like a bad idea to me." She then reaches up to kiss him with heartfelt emotion and he growls as he returns it. Each kiss blends into the next until they are both breathless and aching for more. He growls softly against her throat and begins to thrust into her again. Sam moans her approval and once again glides her legs up high around his waist.


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER VIII

The next morning they waited nervously for Parker to make some comment on the previous night and the obvious evidence that Gibbs had spent the night... in his mother's bed. When his only comment was to ask if Gibbs thought they would finish the project they were working on today, there was a silent sigh of relief from both Sam and Gibbs.

That weekend, having finished the improvements to Sam's Georgetown home, Gibbs suggested they take his boat out for a day on the water. He knew Parker still harbored bad feelings about being on a boat, and understandably so. He wanted to show Parker that boats could be fun and safe, like the pictures he had drawn for his mother when he was younger. After some gentle prodding, Parker agreed to give fishing a try, but only with the promise that if he didn't like it, they would come back right away.

Once out on the water, Gibbs set about getting the fishing gear ready while Samantha busied herself in the galley, preparing their lunch. Gibbs and Parker sat on the deck chairs, feet propped up on the deck rail while their fishing poles stood at attention from the rail mounted holders. Nothing was said, but Gibbs noticed how Parker imitated his actions, even down to his position with his feet on the railing.

When Sam came out to tell them lunch was almost ready, she hesitated in the doorway, enjoying the peaceful scene and feeling overwhelmed with love for this man who was willing to accept her son... recognizing his insecurities from being raised without a father. Gibbs never talked about his first family, but Sam knows he was a great father and had a natural way with kids that made them flock to him. She smiles and makes her presence known as she steps out onto the stern deck.

"How goes the fishing, guys?" She comes to stand next to Gibbs' chair with her hand on his shoulder.

He looks up at her with a slow smile of appreciation for the tank top and shorts; which allow him to admire her legs. His hand snakes out to glide slowly up the back of her thigh and she swallows a gasp as his fingers graze her inner thigh. Her legs go weak from his caress, he loops his arm around her waist and hauls her down onto his lap. "I don't know about fish, but I already caught mine."

His hand curls up to cradle her head as he kisses her warmly, lingering a moment until Sam gives in and returns the caress. Parker is watching their interaction with a blank expression, neither upset or embarrassed. When Gibbs releases her, she takes a deep breath to calm her suddenly racing heart and tries to act as if nothing just happened. She casually pats his chest as her eyes plead with him to behave himself. He just grins and raises one brow to her in a silent challenge. She ignores him, "Well, I just came out here to let you know lunch was ready." She tries to move off his lap as casually as she can, but he holds her in place until she relaxes. He urges her in closer, holding her until he feels her relax; then he gives her gentle guidance, moving her lips once again towards his. She hesitates to comply with his silent demand, then remembers their intimate talk from the other night. He had truly gotten inside her head that night; after making love to her seven times, she was his in heart, mind, body and soul. She sighs and gives in to the pressure, kissing him with slow, lingering desire as he suppresses a moan. She pulls back, leaving him stunned and quickly moves off his lap to put some distance between them since Gibbs appears to be in a dangerous mood today.

"We just got our poles set, Mom... we're fishing." Parker's impatience is aimed at his mother, they don't realize it is because she is interrupting his time with Gibbs, not because of the interaction he just witnessed.

"Do you mind if we eat out here?" Gibbs looks up at her innocently and she nods, blushing and afraid to look at her son; she hurries back inside.

Once she is gone, the silence returns and the two men sit staring out at where their lines disappear into the water. Gibbs can't tell if Parker is upset by what just happened, but knows he has to get used to it sooner or later. After a moment, Gibbs readjusts the position of his right foot, bringing it to rest closer to Parker's left foot. When he doesn't move his foot away, Gibbs casually taps Parker's foot with his own, "Hey."

Parker looks up at him, his face a blank expression and he can't tell if he is angry, embarrassed or hates him for interfering with his mother. He reminds himself that it was Parker's idea that he spend the night last week and continues, "Does that bother you?"

Parker studies him for a moment, then asks, "Does what bother me?"

"Me, being close to your mom, kissing her?" Gibbs keeps his voice low, not wanting Sam to overhear them. Parker would be embarrassed to talk about this in front of her. Parker continues to stare at him, his eyes narrowed and Gibbs prepares himself for a teenager's outrage at having an intruder move in on his mother. Parker turns back to stare out at the water after several tense moments and Just when Gibbs thinks he won't answer; he does. "You gonna hurt her?"

Gibbs mimics the boy's position, staring out at the water since he seems to be more comfortable talking without actually looking at him. He takes a deep breath, shocked by the question and his sudden indignation at the idea of him hurting Samantha Ryan. Then he realizes that Parker has a limited range of experience to draw on when it comes to his mother's personal life. Gibbs thinks back to what Parker has witnessed and then asks, "You mean like your dad did?"

"Yea, kind of... I mean, I know you wouldn't hit her... like he did. He was mean, and cruel and scary... and now I understand why she ran away from him and kept us hidden all those years."

"She was protecting you, Parker."

"I know... but who's protecting her now? I don't ever want to see my mom hurt again." Once again Parker turns his intense gaze on Gibbs, daring him to challenge his place as his mother's protector.

Instead, Gibbs gives the boy his full attention, turning to look him in the eye and reassure him of his intentions. "I will never... never hurt your mom. And I'll never hurt you either Parker. I want to make sure no one ever hurts either of you again."

They hold this intense gaze for a moment longer then, Parker nods, seemingly satisfied as he turns back to watch his line in the water. Gibbs copies him and wonders if the matter is settled; even though Parker never really answered his question. A few moments later, Parker mimics his movement of earlier and taps his foot against Gibbs'. When Gibbs looks over at him, Parker is trying to hold back a smile as he finally responds, "Then no, it doesn't... but... are you two gonna be doin' that when my friends come over and stuff?"

Gibbs breaks into a grin and laughs out loud, causing Samantha to pause in the doorway with their lunch tray in her hands. She catches none of the conversation, except Gibbs' last comment, "I don't know buddy... I don't know. That's up to your mother!"

Parker looks shocked for a moment, then rolls his eyes and breaks into laughter along with Gibbs and the matter is settled. Parker again mimics Gibbs as he crosses one leg over the other and Sam smiles as tears fill her eyes at the scene. She had been so afraid to pursue her own happiness because she was so protective of her son, but it appeared Gibbs, in all of his enigmatic ways has won over Parker as well.


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER IX**

Gibbs has been working long hours, ever since they got Sam and Parker back from Barcelona. Yes, they had solved the main problem, taking out Liam Colson and his number two man, but something kept nagging at his gut. For the time, he kept it to himself and did some discreet digging. Everyone else believed the case to be over, done with and closed... so Gibbs was careful not to arouse any suspicions when he continued to investigate the matter. Something wasn't right and Gibbs knew he couldn't let it go until he figured it out. He had done a lot of thinking about it since their return and several aspects of Colson's actions bothered him.

How had Colson gotten out of prison? He hadn't escaped and he was nowhere near the end of his sentence. He wasn't even near the date he would be considered for parole. And yet, he had walked out of the HMP Wakefield high security prison without raising one red flag.

How had Colson bank rolled his vendetta mission to the United States? He'd been in prison for twelve years. Could he have maintained control of his IRA organization all that time? And would they have just kept stockpiling money for his use when he got out? Gibbs didn't think that was very likely, given the depressed Irish economy.

How had Colson gotten his hands on a private jet, a pilot and international flight plans without once again raising any red flags? He was a known terrorist coming to the United States! Colson's Interpol file had so many red flags it could pass for a piñata... and yet not one alarm was raised when he boarded that private jet and left the country. It was like he'd been invisible.

Leaving Europe was one thing, but how had he managed to land at Dulles Airport, clear Customs and walk out onto the streets of Washington, DC without half of the Homeland Defense network coming down on him and his crew?

As Gibbs sits at his desk, mulling over these questions, he knows he must go back to the beginning to find answers. The British Isles were the place to start and he was going to need some help... from an insider. He quickly glances around at the desks of his team to ensure they were all busily working on the case they closed yesterday. Then he stands up, trying not to draw attention as he heads for the back staircase and Autopsy. Hearing the swoosh of the reverse airflow controlled doors, Dr. Mallard lifts his head from the requisition forms he is struggling to get through. At first he doesn't see anyone, but then Gibbs steps through and stops; surveying the room with a critical eye. Ducky is surprised to see him since there was not a single body in the autopsy coolers that would hold any interest to his friend.

"Jethro... what brings you down to my humble domain?"

"Just needed to stretch my legs, Duck. Palmer taking the day off?"

"Might as well, ever since he got married he can't seem to stay focused. It was becoming tiresome working on inventory with him... so I sent him out to run some errands."

"Aahh, quieter when he's gone." Gibbs comes to stand by the desk, leaning over Ducky's shoulder to scan the requisition forms. "Looks like you're making progress."

"Yes, it's amazing what one can get done without distractions." He leans back in his chair and raises his eyes to catch the annoyed glare and quickly amends his comment, "Distractions of a... Palmer, nature. I assure you, Jethro, your company is always a welcome respite from this tedious endeavor."

Gibbs gives him a slight smirk, knowing he was covering for his slip, but decides to let it go. Instead, he takes a seat on the corner of his desk, sitting on top of the forms as if to emphasize his role in stopping the work at hand. He picks up the pen and slowly examines it as he decides how best to formulate his request.

Ducky watches him for a moment, knowing there is something on his mind. He is used to Gibbs' reticence to talk and casually prompts him into conversation. "Was there something in particular you came down here not to talk about?"

Gibbs sighs, "No. Just got some things rolling through my head... can't seem to get rid of them."

"I see. Are you by chance having... issues with our good Doctor Ryan? I mean it has been six months now... and that's somewhat of a record for you, isn't it?"

"Yes... and no, it's not that. THAT... is good, I mean... it's strange, but we're really doing good." Gibbs gives him a little smile to show he really is happy, but Ducky can hear the unspoken 'but...' in his words.

"But...?"

"Duck... you got connections in England... right? You're still heading back for your reunion with your old Edinburgh buddies next week?"

Ducky studies him for a moment and instantly knows where his mind is going. Gibbs was famous for his gut and he wasn't going to let go of a nagging hunch until he had uncovered the truth. Something was bothering him and it didn't take a genius to figure out it probably had something to do with Liam Colson.

"Are you asking because Wakefield is only a few hours' drive south of Edinburgh University?"

"I can't wrap my head around how Colson just walked out of that maximum security prison, Duck. He was one of the most notorious IRA terrorists they ever put away and he wasn't anywhere near eligible for release yet."

"And your famous gut has been churning up questions that lead you to believe he may have had help. Am I correct?"

"You're damned right! It just doesn't add up! The man walks out of prison without one alarm. The man gets his hands on a private jet and a pilot... not to mention international flight plans without one alarm. The man leaves Ireland and lands in my backyard... without one GOD DAMNED ALARM!"

"I have to admit... I have wondered about that myself, Jethro. Considering this happened in 'my backyard' so to speak. So what is it you need from me? I am sure my connections there will be more than up to the task at hand."

Gibbs spends the next half hour filling Ducky in on his suspicions and what he needs his friend... via his connections to do in order to prove his suspicions right. He knew he could trust his old friend to handle it personally and ensure it remained quiet for the time being. With that settled, they discuss the other aspects of Colson's raid of terror that bothers them. When Jimmy Palmer returns, Gibbs casually slaps Ducky on the shoulder and heads for the door.

..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·.ƸϊƷ.·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..·¤°°¤·..

As time goes by, the shadow of their terrifying abduction begins to fade and life returns to normal. Dr. Ryan has returned to her job as the Department of Defense's top head-gamer and to all but a few that know her, she doesn't appear to have let the incident affect her in the least. Only a few have been allowed to see behind the shield, to know the person behind the front she puts on. And those few see the change in her; the new commitment to working less hours... spending more time with her son. She hasn't said anything about her relationship with Gibbs, they just think the experience left her with a new appreciation for spending time with family instead of working eighteen hours a day.

It wasn't that she was ashamed of Gibbs; she just wasn't quite ready to share him with the rest of her world. What they had was still pretty new, only just now approaching their six month anniversary. It was juvenile and silly, but to her this was a milestone worth recognizing. It has been way too many years since she's been able to commit to anything for this length of time and Gibbs was something she cherished. He on the other hand took great pleasure in showing up at her office... under the pretext of discussing some aspect of the abduction investigation; just to see her.

He would stroll in, looking all official and rap his knuckles on her open door once before breezing in. With a casual glance over his shoulder, he'd throw out his usual disclaimer for anyone who might be listening. "Hey, Doc. Had a few more questions for you." Then he would close the door and turn back to give her that smoldering wolfish gaze that had her heart pounding in her chest like a trapped rabbit. Most times, he would slowly stalk her, moving towards the end of her desk; watching as she pushed her chair back. The indecision in her eyes was clear; run and enjoy the chase, or just surrender to him and enjoy the capture.

Either way, the result was the same. Gibbs would thoroughly kiss her, pillaging the sweetness of her mouth; leaving her breathless and aching for more. Sam had come to realize Gibbs had a healthy... a very healthy appetite. It wasn't that he couldn't go an entire day without seeing her because some days he was just too busy. Sometimes so tied up on a case he wouldn't see her for a day or two. But she always knew, he would be there the next day, making up for the lost kisses he'd missed out on. She knew the risk they took in this dangerous game and she understood his need to push it. Gibbs was not a man to be restrained, contained or denied what he wanted... and at the moment that was Dr. Samantha Ryan.

It's been three days since Sam has seen Gibbs, at work or at home. His team was working a difficult case and it took all of her willpower not to use her position to help him solve it quicker. Not that she didn't think he could handle it, but when he was focused on a case, he imposed a strict ban on personal fun so he could put all of his energy into solving the case. Sam actually admired him for his dedication, but she understands why his three previous marriages hadn't lasted long. She on the other hand had an insider's perspective and she wouldn't let his dedication to duty come between them. The way she saw it, this only made Gibbs that much more insatiable when he was done with the case.

And that had her nervously fidgeting at her desk this morning. She knew Gibbs and his crew solved the murder of retired Admiral Bates last night and they would be finishing up the reports on it today. And barring any new catastrophe's on the horizon, she expected to hear the heralding rap of his knuckles on her door at any moment. She smiles as a tremor flickers down her spine at the thought and tries to focus on her own report.

"What's so amusing, Doc?"

Her eyes dart up to see Gibbs leaning in her doorway with that adorable smirk on his face. "Agent Gibbs... no knock today?"

Their eyes hold for a moment as he slowly straightens away from the door, moving into her office and without a backward glance he swings the door closed. His eyes are sparkling like blue flame as he slowly walks towards her. Sam is held spellbound by her own need to touch him and doesn't even consider their usual game of cat and mouse. She sits perfectly still, watching as he comes around the corner of her desk. Instead of leaning down to trap her in her chair, Gibbs casually perches on the edge of her desk, spreading his long legs out before him with a low sigh. He takes a moment to get control of his raging passion before he holds out one hand to her and huskily orders, "C 'mere."

Sam's hand raises up to meet his and allows him to pull her up out of her seat. He guides her closer until she is standing between his legs, so close she can feel the heat coming off of his skin. She wants to kiss him, but there is a dangerous tension in him so she merely strokes her fingers along his jaw; testing the waters. Gibbs turns his head into her hand, kissing her palm as his hands come to rest on her hips, pulling her tightly against him.

"Want you laid out on this desk, so fucking bad right now. Do you have any idea how hard it's been not seeing you for three days?" His eyes are intense and she knows this is not a time to joke with him.

"Yeah, I do. I knew you would be here today... and I was sitting here impatiently waiting... all wet and trembling... just at the thought of you coming through that door."

"That why you were smiling, Sam?" She blushes and nods, bringing a smile to his face and she finally decides they've talked enough. There is no gentleness in their kisses today, no casual caresses; only hot, desperate need. His tongue ravages her mouth as she slants her mouth across his, taking his passion and returning it. Her hands slip into his silver hair to hold him as close as possible. His hands drop over her thighs, hooking the hem of her dress and drawing it up around her waist. With this barrier out of his way, his hand dips down between her legs, causing a husky growl as he finds her panties hot and wet. His fingers slip under the material to glide over her sensitive flesh and she breaks the kiss to moan desperately against his lips.

"Ooohhh... damn you, Jethro..." She trembles in his arms as her brow rests against his, letting him see her eyes darken with desire. He continues to caress her and she gasps softly as his fingers plunge into the heat of her core. Her eyes flutter closed as she is flooded by new waves of pleasure, but he wants to watch her come undone... wants to see her come undone in his arms.

"Open your eyes, Sam... I want to see you lose it when you come."

Her eyes open and he is amazed at the depth of her desire. She can't hide anything from him when she is under his thumb; literally at the mercy of his thumb as it circle over her clit in time with his thrusting fingers inside her. He teases her with soft kisses, tugging on her lips, nipping at them, then licking the tingle away until she is desperate. She arches her hips into his hand, forcing the friction she needs as she pulls his mouth to hers in a deep, desperate kiss. Her fingers tighten in his hair and she screams into the kiss, drowning the sound with a deep growl from Gibbs. He pulls back to watch as her whole body trembles as wave after wave crashes through her until she collapses into his chest with one last trembling sigh.

Gibbs gives her a moment to calm down, let her breathing return to normal as he carefully removes his hand from between her legs and lets her dress drop back into place. He tips his mouth closer to her ear and huskily praises her, "That was worth the wait... love how you respond to my touch, babe."

Sam finally has the strength to stand up in his arms and look him in the eye. Her cheeks are flushed and the glow in her eyes tells him how much she loves it too. She watches as he brings his wet fingers up to his mouth and sucks the moisture from them one at a time, groaning with satisfaction. He holds her eyes and then smiles as he winks at her, knowing she wanted to taste herself on his tongue. She leans in and meets his open mouth with hers, moaning softly as her tongue twines slowly with his to share the essence. They are lost in their private world until a sharp rap causes them to pull apart, just as the door opens to admit the last person either of them wanted to see right now.

Dr. Ryan gasps in surprise and tries to step back as her eyes fly up in shock to the person entering her office. Gibbs' hands on her waist stop her retreat and her eyes flicker quickly from him to the man standing in stunned silence at the door. Gibbs looks back over his shoulder and tries to hide his own groan of disbelief as he comes face to face with the Secretary of the Navy. Relying on his marine training, in always taking the fight to your enemy, Gibbs is the first to speak.

"Hello, Mr. Secretary." He feels Sam trying to back away from him and takes her hands in his, giving them a gentle squeeze to calm her. He knows any frantic attempts to hide what they were doing would look even worse, so he holds her in place as his eyes flash a silent warning to her.

"Agent Gibbs... I... I aahh, didn't expect to see you here."

Gibbs doesn't look back at his boss, but keeps his eyes on Sam, trying to relay a silent message of support. She seems to understand as she smiles and reaches out to smooth his hair back into place. Sam has finally gotten her stunned mind to function and tries to look calm as she casually runs a hand down her hip to ensure her dress is still in place before she looks up at the new arrival and greets him. "And to what do I owe the pleasure of a visit from SecNav?"

"I... after that terrible incident with your abduction... I wanted to stop by and..." He has the decency to look embarrassed as he motions towards the two of them and continues, "Well... I can see you're doing fine. It's not uncommon after such an experience..."

"We've been together six months, Martin... long before that happened." Gibbs finally stands up and turns to face his nervous boss, knowing he has to get this out in the open. "So... unless you have a problem with this...?"

Gibbs stresses his point by raising Sam's hand to his lips for one last kiss before releasing her and moving towards the door. He stops when he is face to face with the SecNav and waits a long moment for his reply. When none comes, Gibbs turns to look at Sam and smiles, "I'll see you later, Sam."

As he is turning out the door, the Secretary is jolted into motion and holds up one finger to Sam, "I'll be right with you." He then follows Gibbs out into the hallway and closes her office door behind him. "Gibbs... are you? Is this serious?"

Gibbs turns back, coming eye to eye and giving his boss an ice cold glare as he anticipates his lecture on the impropriety of it all. "Yes, Martin, it is. You got a problem with it?"

Martin has a million possible problems racing through his head; the foremost being the possibility of Dr. Ryan talking to Gibbs about things he would rather the savvy federal agent didn't know about. He takes a moment to assess the man who has always made him a bit nervous and decides it is better not to make an enemy of him. "No... I mean, as long as you understand..."

"You stay out of my business, Martin and I'll stay out of yours. Believe me, the last thing I want to know is all your dirty little secrets."

"Right, right... my thoughts exactly, Gibbs."

"But let me make this perfectly clear... I have no intention having my relationship with that woman become a topic on the hill. So, if I find out you've interfered in any way, I won't need the secrets in her head to bury you... I've got enough of my own. Are we clear?" Gibbs leans in a bit closer, making the shorter man back up a step and nod his head swiftly in agreement.

Seeing the man back down, Gibbs finally gives him a half smile and pats him on the shoulder before casually walking away. Martin watches him go, amazed that even in his position, Gibbs always made him feel like a Probie. Long after Gibbs has gone, Martin stands there getting his composure back because as intimidated as he is by the man, the woman behind that door scared the shit out of him. The only thing scarier to the Secretary of the Navy, was knowing that Dr. Ryan was in bed, literally, with Leroy Jethro Gibbs. He takes a deep breath and plasters a smile on his face before knocking on her door and waiting for her to call out her approval before he burst into her office like last time.


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

Doctor Mallard was, for all his worldly travels, covert operations and his prowess at uncovering what the dead had to tell him, still, just Ducky. To his old classmates at Edinburgh University in Scotland, Ducky was the prankster, the class clown and they still to this day had a hard time seeing him as anything else. Maybe that was because every time they had a reunion of this sort, Ducky planned some elaborate rouse that kept them all guessing.

So, when Ducky arrived in Edinburgh they expected nothing less. Ducky would stay, as he always had, with his second cousin on his mother's side; the only relative he still had in Scotland. Many of his classmates offered up their homes to the man, but he insisted it was the only time he got to visit with his cousin, Manfred and his wife Giselle. What they didn't know is that having this distance from his classmates also gave him the opportunity to perpetrate his elaborate hoaxes on them... and Manfred and Giselle were more than happy to act as his accomplices.

Ducky had planned one of his most outrageous tricks to date, but due to Gibbs' gut, he'd decided his time would be better spent uncovering the mystery of how Liam Colson got released from Her Majesty's Prison at Wakefield. Not wanting to miss the festivities of his University reunion, he planned to drive the three hundred and thirty-nine kilometers to HMP Wakefield during the mid-week when most of his colleagues would be out on the golf courses. That meant he may miss an opportunity to best a few of them on the tough Scottish course, but this was more important.

When Ducky arrived at the home of the cousin, Manfred was still at work and Giselle had readied his room. He took some time to unpack, settle into his room and let his body adjust to the new time zone. Jet lag had never been a problem for Gibbs' since he never seemed to sleep much anyway, but Ducky had never been so lucky. Giselle let him nap for a few hours before waking him for afternoon tea. It was truly a pleasure to be back in his homeland, where civilized people understood the importance of good tea. He chatted with Giselle about his life in America, his work... to the extent he could talk about autopsies without giving her nightmares, and the opera, which they both enjoyed.

When Manfred returned home that evening, Ducky knew he was in for the usual greeting which meant a bear hug from the huge man, with enough force to crack a rib or two. Manfred was a giant of a man with hands twice the size of Ducky's, but he was gentle as a lamb with a heart to match.

"Ducky! Good to see ya' lad!" The bear hug was endured and when Ducky could draw breath into his lungs again, he patted his cousin enthusiastically on the back, grinning from ear to ear. Manfred was the only one who referred to Ducky as 'a lad' and that was only because he happened to be eighteen months older than the good doctor.

"Manfred! My God, man... aren't you ever going to stop growing?!" It was a common exchange upon their meetings and one that still made them both laugh.

With that over, Ducky was able to sit down to supper with his favorite people and catch up on their lives. This was the one place that Ducky seemed to be uncharacteristically quiet... and that was only because his storytelling abilities were topped only by those of Manfred. Ducky's reunions were only held every other year, so each visit gave them plenty to talk about. By evenings' end, they had laughed, drank more Port than was decent on a weekday and slipped easily back into their old friendship.

Ducky was only in Scotland for five days and most of that would be taken up with the various festivities of his class reunion. He'd already arranged for his date to the Grand Ball, to be held on Friday evening with a long standing date. Meredith McCauley was an old college sweetheart of his and they had kept in touch over the years. Ducky still felt the twinge of regret whenever he saw her again, but to his knowledge, Meredith's secret was still safe with him, and no one knew that the reason their two year relationship ended was because Meredith truly felt she loved another so much she could not possibly marry him. Yes, he had been jilted for another, but his ego was intact because Meredith's love was for God. She had always wanted to join the convent, but her parents wouldn't hear of it. They had envisioned so much more for their only daughter. So, Meredith tried to be a good daughter, went to University and met Ducky. She never did join the convent, but she did work tirelessly for the church and devoted all her time to it and the charities they represented.

The next morning, before Manfred left for work, Ducky sat with him in the quiet of the early morning to discuss his agenda. Manfred had been expecting his usual plea for assistance with some prank, but Ducky had much more serious things on his mind this time. Manfred offered up his car without hesitation; refusing to listen to Ducky's offer to lease one for the trip. He also insisted he take off work for the day and accompany Ducky down to Wakefield, since he wasn't thrilled with his cousin's decision to stay overnight in the somewhat rough town. Ducky finally agreed and let Manfred get on to his job at the paper mill.

His next item of business was of course, meeting his closest friends and classmates for brunch. There he would give them the same update on his life, which always confused Ducky as to why they all seemed to be so fascinated with it. To Ducky's way of thinking he was quite the boring sort, having never married, with no children... but to his friends who had all taken the more traditional route, his life was akin to the legendary James Bond.

Knowing his celebrity status amongst his classmates, Ducky knew his request for assistance from three of them would be seen as something out of a spy novel. And in some ways it was, but reality was always so much stranger than fiction. His three chosen accomplices; Reginald Battersby, Scotland's Regent Solicitor, Andrew Heldenhed, Chief of Surgery at Her Majesty's Hospital in Briton and lastly Caroline McDougal, Head of Edinburgh's office of Great Britain's Scotland Yard. Each had been selected for their specific status and contacts which would enable them to access the information Ducky needed in order to determine how Colson was able to get out of prison. He looks from one to the other, seeing the anticipation in each of their eyes. He sets his cup gently in its saucer before he speaks.

"As I am sure you probably anticipated this little meeting between us with curiosity, I can assure you, this is quite a serious matter."

"Your invitation was... cryptic to say the least, Ducky." Caroline was the all business type.

"Yes, and I am sorry for that. It will become clear why as I explain the circumstances surrounding the need for your assistance."

"Is this one of your legendary pranks? Because I for one would relish the opportunity to be on the giving end... instead of the receiving end for a change!"

Ducky gave Andy a smile, acknowledging that he had been the brunt of more than one prank by him. Andy was a good soul, knew medicine inside and out, but he wasn't awfully clever at spotting a prank before he got the proverbial pie in the face.

"I can assure you, Andy, there will be no prank this year. I am on somewhat of a more serious mission this year and that is why I have asked you all here."

He waits for their questions and when none are forthcoming, he takes another sip of his coffee and continues. "Right. NCIS, my agency in America, as you know is tasked with investigations which occasionally involve international terrorism. We had one such investigation a couple months back, in which a high ranking military intelligence figure was kidnapped."

Silence follows his announcement and he now leans in, lowering his voice even though they are seated on the private patio of Reginald's home and no one was around to overhear him.

"We got her back, but there are a lot of unanswered questions surrounding the events that brought this villain to our door. I must preface this by saying, that the offender, a ruthless chap named Liam Colson is no longer walking amongst the living."

"Liam Colson?! Ducky, you must be mistaken! Colson is in maximum security at HMP Noranside in Angus."

"Nay... Noranside Prison closed down October, last yar. Believe it was due to the lead based paint from yar's past. Cheaper to close the place down than remove it all." Caroline had the most information on the prison system.

"So, that begs the question... how did Colson end up at HMP Wakefield?" Ducky can see the consternation on Caroline's face. She, of all her colleagues knew Wakefield was a prison set aside for serious sex offenders, not terrorists. "And even more disturbing... how did Colson manage to walk out of that prison a free man three months ago, obtain a private jet and manage to make it to America undetected?"

They all look from one to the other and realize the seriousness of Ducky's request. They all knew this must remain completely confidential; since it had the potential to cause great embarrassment to the British government if the media got ahold of it. The media would have a field day, ripping apart Her Majesty's Prison Services for releasing a known IRA terrorist. And the fact that this terrorist had gotten out of the country to wreak havoc on the American government, would not help the two countries already strained relations.

"Good Lord. Can you imagine the media circus? What with all the frenzy over the BBC's role in letting that child molester, Savile, remain on the air all those years." Andy still cringed when he thought of all the times he'd let his own children attend a showing of Savile's children's program. Thank goodness they had never been selected by the show's host for his after air parties.

"And the flap over the owner of the top media empire tapping government phone lines and getting away with it?" Reggie had been involved in this particular scandal and it still left a bad taste in his mouth.

"Yes, yes, we are all aware this would not benefit anyone if it were to be discovered by the media. Which is why I have asked you all to this meeting. I need answers as I am sure you do as well. It is our belief that Colson had help, an outside benefactor, if you will, in order to have made his escape in this manner. NCIS wants to know who that person was because they are most likely still a viable threat to our government and yours."

A heavy silence falls over the small group as they each contemplate the weight of Ducky's request and what it could mean for both countries. With the ice broken, so to speak, they get down to the real reason for the meeting... discreet probes into different areas within the prison system in order to determine how this travesty of justice occurred.

By afternoon on Wednesday, Ducky and Manfred had completed their journey down to the North Britain town of Wakefield. Although the drive down from the Scottish Highlands was beautiful, the town of Wakefield was somewhat of a disappointment. Having grown up around the penal system here, the town lacked the quaint air of most British hamlets. In all actuality, Wakefield was a modern city of over fifty thousand souls, working in the modern business offices and processing plants that supplied goods to the huge prison complex there.

Just to get a feel for his surroundings, Ducky asked Manfred to drive past the infamous prison a time or two from all angles. It sat on several acres of land, all surrounded by an immense stone wall; measuring a good six meters tall. The wall was topped with razor wire and flood lights, with guard towers positioned at all corners to allow for maximum visibility both inside the wall and out. There were two entrances to the prison, one up front where the visitors, medical vehicles and prison vans came and went... and the rear entrance where vendors, employees and deliveries gained access.

Manfred pulled the car onto the curb, sitting across from the Love Lane entrance to the prison. This was the main entrance and attempts had been made to lessen the stark, cold image of the prison with a series of lovely gardens planted along the curving entrance and parking lot.

"Odd they'd put a place like that on a lane wit' a name like 'Love'."

"Yes, it is. I wonder which came first... the prison or the lane?" Ducky finally tears his eyes away from the plain gray stone walls to give his cousin a smile. "Our work here is done for now, Manfred, I believe we are able to check into our room by this time, if you would be so kind as to drive us to The Redoubt Inn? It should be no more than a half kilometer down Love lane here, and then onto Horsbury Road a bit."

With one last look at the imposing prison walls, they drive away, intent on getting settled into their room for the night. Caroline McDougal had been a wonder at getting Dr. Mallard privileged access to Wakefield's prison hospital for a professional courtesy tour. The premise of his visit was to discuss prison ailments and deaths, for a study Dr. Mallard was preparing for Edinburgh University. The tour was scheduled for tomorrow; during which time Manfred said he would occupy his time with a bit of shopping the wife asked him to do.

In the meantime, Reginald Battersby was doing some digging into the closure of Noranside prison and how the inmates there had been reassigned to their new prisons. He was able to pull this off, by siting a recent court case in which an inmate claimed his rights had been violated when he was housed at a new prison where he'd been severely beaten by rival gang members. His real intent was to discover where Colson had been transferred to and how he had been mistakenly placed in a lower security prison for male sex offenders.

And lastly, although Andrew Heldenhed was a surgeon by trade, he was also the president of the Royal British Flight School, on the board of directors for the British Aeronautical Society and an avid aviator. If anyone could run down the private jet used by Colson and determine who it belonged to, he could. Andy had offered to accompany Ducky on his tour of the prison's hospital... to add credibility to his visit, but Ducky knew that would only complicate things. What if Andy was contacted at a later date and asked questions about how the university project was coming along? He didn't want to put his friend in a position to have to lie... or in any way impugn his credibility in the medical community here.

After being dropped off at the front entrance to Wakefield Prison at the appointed time, Ducky took a moment to examine the building more closely. He noted that some of the rock wall structures appeared to be quite old, while others were obviously more recent additions. He stepped into the lobby and removed his overcoat and hat before stepping up to the heavily armored guest window. The man seated behind the thick Plexiglas barrio flipped a button to activate the two way microphone.

"May I help you?"

"Yes, Dr. Mallard here to see... Dr. Crumpet, if you please." Ducky glanced quickly at the paper Caroline had given him, to ensure he provided the correct name, then stuffed the paper into his suit coat pocket.

"One moment, please, sir." The man flipped the com off and picked up the phone. Ducky stepped away from the window while he waited, allowing the long line of other visitors to the prison move up to the window. He casually examined the visitors, noting most appeared to be family members of inmates with a few solicitors standing in line looking irritated at having to wait like everyone else.

Within a few minutes, a side door opened and an attractive woman stepped out wearing a white lab coat, which drew Ducky's attention. She smiled at him, motioning him to come with her and as he sidestepped her through the heavy metal door, she introduced herself.

"Dr. Mallard, so pleased to meet you. I'm Elizabeth Crumpet, Chief Medical Officer for Wakefield Prison."

"Dr. Crumpet, the pleasure is all mine... and please, call me Ducky." He knew the response his nickname usually elicited from people and he was prepared with his normal explanation, but in this instance he was pleasantly surprised.

"Ducky... a play on your last name... and the most infamous prankster in all of Edinburgh University." At his surprised look, she smiles and pats his arm, "Don't look so surprised, doctor. I am also an Edinburgh alumni... although a few years your junior classman, I believe."

"I do hope my reputation hasn't biased your opinion of me... or all my planned flattery will be for naught, Dr. Crumpet."

"All flattery is accepted and appreciated... since you may be aware, not much of a positive nature happens in this place. And, please call me Lizzie."

As they talk she is escorting him through the endless maze of corridors and security locks and channels, designed to control the flow within the building. Her security pass card got them through most of them, all except the maximum security access point. Dr. Mallard was addressed by a rather surly looking guard who examined his credentials closely before nodding his approval and ordering the last door opened to allow them to enter.

Ducky thoroughly enjoyed his meeting with Dr. Crumpet and found himself more than a little enamored of the doctor. Her name suited her well, being very warm hearted and fun for a person in such a position of grim responsibility. Ducky learned the prison was first built in 1594 and had many renovations and additions since its first inception to house pirates and enemies of the throne. It was currently the largest maximum security prison in western Europe and housed over 750 male inmates who were considered high risk to society for a myriad of sexual offenses.

By the time his tour ended, Ducky was very impressed with the operations of the prison and was certain there hadn't been any breech in security... at least not under Lizzie's watch in the hospital wing. They parted company reluctantly with a promise to keep in touch since Lizzie was planning a holiday to America for next spring. Ducky insisted she make DC her first stop and he would gladly play tour guide to her in exchange for taking time from her busy schedule today.

What Ducky didn't tell her was that she had also been very helpful in giving him some information on the inner operations of the prison. Like how prisoners were transferred from cell block to cell block periodically to avoid the inmates from forming too strong of alliances and causing trouble. How the inmates were dealt with when it came time for hearings, court appearances and other trips outside the prison, such as medical attention they couldn't provide here. She was more than willing to share her knowledge and Ducky hoped she never had to learn how he used her in order to possibly expose a major flaw in her employer's security.

That evening, he and Manfred had a quiet supper in the local pub, discussing the new fly fishing equipment he'd purchased that day. Manfred was obsessed with fly fishing and Ducky could understand his passion for a sport that seemed well suited to his gentle personality. He'd also remembered to buy the bolt of material Giselle had ordered from the big textile mill once she knew he was coming down here.

After their meal, they took a short walk along the Parklands, only a short distance from their Inn before turning in for the night. He needed to be rested and alert for their drive back north and his meeting with the others to discuss their findings. And Jet lag was still plaguing Ducky; to the point he wondered if he may, after all these years, have to admit he was getting too old for these jaunts across the pond.


	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

Having spent the day at HMP Wakefield, Dr. Mallard had a much better understanding of how the prison operated, who made the decisions on movement of prisoners, but he was still not clear how Colson had managed to get released from prison. Without asking too many direct questions, he was able to find out that Her Majesty's Royal Surgeon, Dr. Colin McConoughy, was the person who authorized the transfer of prisoners from one prison to another, based on medical needs. Ducky would need to meet up with his cohorts in this covert investigation in order to get more information on this man... and why he'd authorized Colson's transfer out of Wakefield to a lower security prison just days before his release.

After he and Manfred returned home, it was too late in the day to ring up his classmates for an update. Manfred knew there was something troubling his cousin, but refrained from bringing it up and Giselle was too distracted with her new bolt of fabric to pay much attention to Ducky's brooding silence. He excused himself and stepped outside to contact each of his college friends by phone to arrange a meeting the next morning over brunch... and if all went well they would be able to get in a round of golf before the reunion festivities began that evening.

From each one he spoke to, Ducky was told they had news to report on their specific assignments, but he asked an extra task of his good friend Andrew Heldenhed. He needed to know everything he could about Dr. Colin McConoughy before their meeting. Andrew had seemed to hesitate a moment, as if he had something to say... but he hadn't seemed shocked at Ducky's interest in him. It would be interesting to see what Andrew brought to the table tomorrow.

* * *

The meeting was scheduled for Reginald's house where they could be assured of complete privacy. Ducky was anxious to discuss his findings and was the first to arrive; but the others soon made an appearance. It seemed they were just as eager to present their findings.

"I hate to open Pandora's Box, but I'm afraid my visit to Wakefield has left me in just such a position. And I fear I may need your advise Reggie... as to how we might legally proceed if this information proves true."

"Ducky, you sound as if you're about to tell me about a master plot to steal the crown jewels. It can't be that serious, surely?"

"I'm afraid it might. My visit to Wakefield Prison was enlightening, to say the least. Dr. Lizzie Crumpet showed me the records... and it was most assuredly not what I was expecting."

"You told her you were there about Colson? I thought we were handling this discreetly?" Caroline McDougal was always cautious of leaks, especially when this incident had far reaching international implications.

"Good Lord, no. Being a doctor, I expressed my curiosity as to the procedures when prisoner's were ill or died in prison. She was explaining the procedure to me and then pulled out a few recent prison deaths to use as examples."

"Colson didn't die in prison." Andrew Heldenhed is the first to hint at the revelation and with Ducky's inquiry from the previous evening he now understands.

"I'm afraid I don't understand... Colson didn't walk out of Wakefield prison?" Reginald was still struggling to catch up and Ducky suppresses a sigh. Reggie was always a bit slower to catch on than the rest.

"No, Reggie, he was wheeled out on a gurney. First on a medical transfer to Slatternly Prison, which is minimum security for medical treatment; of an ailment that was poorly documented. Ducky has their full attention now and defers back to Andy to present his findings from their conversation last night.

"And shortly thereafter, he left Slatternly in a body bag to the local morgue... or so the records show." Andrew looks at each member in turn before he drops the bomb on the group. "They falsified his records."

A collective gasp can be heard around the small table and even though they are all on the edge of their seats, Andrew holds his tongue until their breakfast is served by his housekeeper. When they are once again alone, he continues, "Reggie, this is where you legal expertise is going to come in. The only person who can authorize an inmate transfer from one prison to another... or for that matter, sign off on a death certificate is the Royal Surgeon General."

"McConoughy?! As in Her Majesty's Royal Surgeon General?!" Reggie was shocked by this news and suddenly realized how far up the political ladder this conspiracy went. "But he's the chief medical officer for all of Great Britain. No one overrules his decisions except the Prime Minister... or the Queen herself!"

"Exactly. That would explain my information that the IRA was involved in helping Colson get out. They had a large influx of money into their accounts, but it disappeared quickly. I have a feeling we'll find it was a payoff for Dr. McConoughy. Getting Colson out was the hard part. Getting him back to Ireland where the private jet was waiting for him was relatively easy with travel restrictions so lax these days between the islands." Caroline leaned forward, lowering her voice to convey her concerns.

"I thought the IRA was defunct since peace broke out in the eighties? Where did they get the funding to pull off something like this?" Andrew wasn't well versed in the Irish rebellion and only knew there hadn't been any word of them in the news for over a decade.

"They had outside help... financing and connections. My sources in Dublin keep a close eye on the remnants of the IRA's core group. They still meet up, drink some ale and grumble about the good old days when they blew up anyone who opposed their beliefs."

"So, your source heard something of interest?" Ducky was now intrigued, knowing the IRA could have connections to any number of terrorist groups around the world.

"Yes... but it isn't who you would expect. They've been in contact with an American Corporation... and a benefactor with deep pockets."

"An American company? But who?"

"Harper Diering is the CEO. He's expressed interest in helping the IRA reorganize. Apparently the jet was leased to a straw corporation that we traced back to him as well."

Ducky is stunned to find out the person responsible for arranging the release of one of Europe's most notorious terrorists was an American. What could possibly be his motive in wanting to finance the IRA? Was Colson's release and revenge the price he demanded for some other agreement between them? What could the IRA possibly offer this American?

"But what is the connection to Dr. McConoughy falsifying the records on Colson's release?"

Reggie has been listening quietly and sighs heavily, drawing all eyes towards him as he runs his napkin slowly over his mouth. "Made all the papers... back then. First olive branch, if you will. Prime Minister Thatcher and Her Majesty, making a stand for solidarity for all of the British Isles... England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales... and Northern Ireland..."

"You're right! Dr. McConoughy was chosen as the first Northern Irish affiliated professional to be appointed to a position of stature within Parliament. Dr. McConoughy was never outed as a member of the IRA, but he was pretty vocal about his support of them back in the day... from a medical stance at least."

The group sits in stunned silence as they realize the IRA has had a sleeper agent high up in the British government for the past fifteen years. They wonder how many political prisoners he's helped arrange release for under the guise of various prison deaths. Caroline knows this is going to open a huge investigation into the prison system and McConoughy at Scotland Yard... and the British Secret Service.

Ducky realizes the method of Colson's release has been solved, but not the reason for this American's support. He looks from one to the next announces, "I can have my people trace the money from NCIS since it appears the money came from the States. I'm afraid at the moment, we don't know how high up this goes so if you could all keep this information off of the electronic highway for now. And... I'm afraid I'll have to cut my trip short and head back to Washington as soon as possible." He leans back in his chair, disappointment washing over him.

"We will take care of the investigation into Dr. McConoughy and his IRA connections on this side. We'll notify Parliament together, Reginald, Andrew and myself. Thank you for bringing this to our attention, Ducky."

Their mood was somber with the weight of their findings, but that didn't stop them from getting in a round of golf that afternoon. Ducky had truly been looking forward to the reunion, since he'd invited Dr. Lizzie Crumpet to attend as his date for the ball. Now, in light of the investigation he realized it was probably best that he to cancel and return to the United States. He just hoped Lizzie would understand... and give him another opportunity at some point in the future.

Ducky called Gibbs to update him while he waited for his red eye flight out of Heathrow Airport that night. He was reluctant to get into details in such a public place and simply relayed that he had uncovered some interesting information and would be back in DC tomorrow. Gibbs was too distracted with the new case his team was working to pick up on the distress in his friend's voice. He had acknowledged his friend only with a guarantee that they'd talk about it after things settled down.

The bombing on a Navy destroyer that killed thirty-seven sailors had fallen under his NCIS jurisdiction because the ship had been docked in a secure American port when it occurred and the initial investigation had quickly uncovered evidence that it was no accident. Ducky knows it will be hectic when he gets back with all of the autopsies from the bombing to handle. He can only hope that his assistant, Jimmy Palmer, will efficiently log and tag the incoming bodies, but he was still new and got flustered easily. Ducky needed to sleep as much as possible on the overnight flight to the states so he would be alert and ready to jump into the chaos that awaits him. When the plane finally lifts off, Ducky orders a warm cognac, a pillow and a blanket; then settles in to sleep until they land tomorrow morning at Dulles International Airport.

* * *

As Ducky steps off the elevators the next morning, he looks tired and disheveled from his long flight. He didn't even bother to stop off at home to drop his luggage; opting instead to come straight to the Navy Yard so he could assess the situation and get started on the work at hand. The bullpen area is strangely silent and a quick glance around explains why... everyone is out. He sighs and realizes his talk with Jethro will have to wait, but he stops by his desk to leave a brief message for him, simply stating that he is back and will be in autopsy. With that, he heads for the back elevator which will take him down to his office.

As he enters Autopsy, Dr. Mallard is shocked by the number of gurneys lining the walls two deep. Mr. Palmer is hurrying from one to the next, checking body bag tags to his inventory sheet to ensure everyone is accounted for. The last thing he needs is to lose one of them and then have to explain that to Dr. Mallard. This was the biggest case he has ever been involved in and the stress is evident in his flustered actions. Dr. Mallard quietly sets his suitcase down inside the door and takes off his coat.

"Mr. Palmer... come here, dear boy."

Palmer jumps, having been startled by his boss's appearance. He darts a nervous look around the room, wondering what was out of place that he hadn't caught yet. He quickly makes his way to Ducky as the older man waves him closer. When he stops in front of his boss, Palmer stammers out his report; just as he's been rehearsing it.

"Dr. Mallard. Welcome back... early... you're back early... but I assume that is because of this... the bombing... on the..." He stops abruptly when Dr. Mallard holds up a hand to stop the frantic flow of words.

"Mr. Palmer... stop. Take a deep breath... and again..." He waits and watches as Palmer obeys and takes two long deep breaths before he continues, "Okay, now try to calm down. I'm back now and we'll deal with this..." He motions around the room at the overwhelming number of bodies.

"Yes, Doctor. I... I... knew... when you got here... I'm so glad you're back!" He leans forward on impulse and gives the older man a hug, expressing his relief at turning over the responsibility to his boss once more.

Ducky pats his shoulder and moves him back, then focuses on the clipboard in Palmer's hand. He takes it from him and scans down over the numerous pages with a practiced eye. "Dear God... so many casualties. All right then, Mr. Palmer... let's get organized, shall we?"

He leads the way to the middle of the room, standing amid all of the carts and once again scans the sheet. He pulls out a pen and places a checkmark beside one name, "Adams, Dean. Seaman first class. Locate him and tag him as number one, then on to Arenson, Matthew... Mr. Palmer, if you please?"

Palmer hurries to comply, glad to have someone else making the decisions. And so their work continues until all thirty-seven of the body bags have been stored and labeled for later examination. Then the work began of logging in the remains and storage locations for the chain of evidence. Ducky leaves this task to Mr. Palmer since he seems to have calmed down enough to focus on the data entry task. While he is busy with that, Ducky heads back upstairs to see if Jethro has returned.

He finds the bullpen empty still and heads upstairs to report in with Director Vance. In the outer office, his assistant smiles as he enters, "Welcome back, Dr. Mallard. Have a nice trip?"

"Yes, very pleasant, but unfortunately cut short due to this disturbing matter at hand."

"I know... it's so sad... and to think it happened right here, in our own port. Go on in. I'll let Director Vance know you're here." She quickly presses a buzzer and announces Ducky before he has a chance to open the inner door and enter Vance's office.


	12. Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12

By the time Ducky has been briefed by Director Vance, the full scope of the bombing has him feeling a bit sick. Apparently they received a warning only moments before the bombing. The warning said it was a wakeup call to the Navy about faulty equipment supplied to the Navy by substandard contractors. This wakeup bombing was done to bring public attention to faulty manufacturing on the thirty inch shells the destroyers fired from their big deck guns. The bomb had been planted in the storage bay where these shells were stored and the subsequent explosion was much worse than the bomb itself because numerous shells detonated when the bomb went off.

Vance had already confirmed the fatal flaw in the thirty inch shells was a valid concern for the Navy's fleet. The problem was, they couldn't just pull every defective shell from the fleet all at once. It would leave the fleet defenseless in hostile waters. So the Navy was discreetly replacing the shells one ship at a time and praying they didn't get into any situations where they needed to respond with artillery in the meantime. With that limited information, Gibbs' team was tasked with finding out who sent the warning and how this person was able to get aboard the destroyer to plant the bomb. The FBI teams were investigating the actual bombing scene so Ducky would be answering to two team leaders for the time being.

Vance made it very clear he wanted this case solved as soon as possible since the media was already having a field day with it. Someone had leaked the real reason for the explosion on the destroyer as defective artillery shells and they had no doubt it was their mysterious bomber. The Secretary of the Navy had his hands full with Capitol Hill and placating them about the Navy's stock of defective shells that were on nearly ninety percent of the fleet at the moment.

* * *

Gibbs and his team are dog tired when they finally make it back to NCIS. They have been interviewing every member of the crew on that destroyer who was on board at the time. There had been plenty of injuries along with those killed. He sent Ziva and Tony to locate and interview them either at the hospitals or base housing if they were lucky enough to be released already. He and McGee had stayed on board, running the interviews out of the mess hall, which had been far enough away from the blast to be relatively untouched.

Gibbs drops down in his chair, his mind so numbed by the number of interviews they had done. McGee mirrors his actions and then drops his head onto his crossed arms to rest on his desk. Gibbs is about to fire off a question to his young agent, but then decides to give him a break for a few minutes. "McGee, rest up a bit, then get started on the spreadsheet to log in the interviews."

"On it, boss." McGee mumbled through his arms, not even bothering to lift his head. They have been working this case non-stop for a week. None of them had been home longer than to shower and change clothes, then head back to the office to continue.

Gibbs sits quietly resting for several minutes with his head dropped back and his feet up on his desk, but his gut kept nagging at him and he knew he couldn't rest until this case was solved. He drops his feet to the floor as he sits up, accidentally knocking a yellow note onto the floor. He bends to retrieve it and reads the quick note from Ducky indicating he is back. Trying to get his mind to focus, Gibbs stands up and heads for autopsy. It would be a good distraction and Ducky always helped him focus with his analytical mind and quiet advise.

When Gibbs arrives in Autopsy, Ducky is elbows deep into his third sailor from the bombing. His blue smock is blackened with soot and something dark and red that resembles bodily fluid. He doesn't even bother to look up when the pressurized doors whisk open, but Jimmy Palmer is more easily distracted.

"Hi Agent Gibbs. I bet you're here to see what we've found so far."

Gibbs looks at him like he may have spoken in a foreign language; his brain too foggy to pay attention. He just frowns and turns his attention to his friend as he makes a snip with his bone shears and then examines the portion of bone more closely. "Mr. Palmer, add this to the samples of viable DNA, if you would?"

Gibbs watches as Palmer puts the segment of bone into a container and labels it with the name and ID number of this victim. Palmer then hurries from the room to deliver his latest sample to Abby's lab. Gibbs' attention is drawn back to Dr. Mallard as his name is spoken. "Jethro... God, you look as bad as these poor fellows. Have you gotten any sleep this past week?"

"Naw... not much. I'll sleep when we crack this one, Duck."

"I know you're dedicated, but without sleep and nourishment, you may take longer to accomplish that." Ducky begins to close up the body cavity as he completes the examination on this victim.

"Can't... thirty-seven dead, dozens more wounded... on our ship, in our port, Ducky... I'm not gonna rest until I get this bastard!"

Ducky just sighs, knowing there is no way to dissuade his friend when he is in this mindset. Ducky is too busy to talk about his findings, but stops to give his friend his full attention. "We're only into our third autopsy, Jethro... much too soon for any reports. However, the cause of their deaths is no surprise."

"I know, Duck... just needed to get away for a minute... stretch my legs, clear my head. So how was your reunion?"

"Short. As you know I came back early because of this... but I did have success with my contacts in our mutual endeavor."

"Good... good." Gibbs is staring off into space, his mind already moving on to his next task in this case and not really listening.

Ducky knows the information he found can wait and removes his blackened gloves to toss in the hazmat bin. With his clean hands revealed, he pats Gibbs' on the arm and then shoos him towards the door. "Yes, well... we're both much too busy for reminiscing about my college reunion. I have a full house and you... need to get some food and rest."

Gibbs starts to protest, but then looks at the stern glare from his friend and sighs, "Okay, Duck, don't get all 'father knows best' on me. I'll grab something while McGee and I are cataloging the interviews we got done today."

Ducky tries to look offended, but can't keep a straight face at Gibbs' teasing. They have been friends a long time and Ducky knows he is one of only two people Gibbs allows to 'father' him. He just shakes his head as Gibbs gets into the elevator, then turns back to grab fresh gloves before beginning the examination of the next victim.

Gibbs returns to the bullpen to find Tim still sleeping at his desk. Tony and Ziva have returned and have collapsed in similar positions of exhaustion. He stops for a moment, looking at his team as he realizes how hard they have been working this week. He decides to let them rest while he goes out to get some coffee and food for the group.

* * *

The team has been working non-stop, and their efforts are not in vain. Abby was able to trace the paper the letter was written on as high end stock with an embedded watermark logo from the company. This seemed to be the first solid break they have had in the case since almost every sailor interviewed could not recall anyone suspicious on board their ship in the twenty-four hours before the explosion. They had narrowed it down to that time frame because the ship had come into port and been on lock down until they were cleared to disembark for shore leave.

Now, with this lead as to where the paper came from; they may be able to find out who wrote it and what other bombings were planned... as the letter indicated. Tony and Ziva are sent to the company to speak to them about the paper and try to find out who might have a problem with the Navy. Upon their arrival, they are both awed by the opulence of the fancy office building. The receptionist escorts them into a conference room and indicates that Mr. Bathers will be right with them.

A few moments later, an impeccably groomed man in a very expensive suit enters and introduces himself, "Hello. I'm Judd Bathers, legal counsel for D.C.I. How can I help you?"

"Special Agents DiNozzo and David. We're from NCIS. That's Naval Cri..."

"Criminal Investigative Services... yes, I know. Served twelve years in the Navy myself... and finished my tour in JAG. So, what brings NCIS to our offices?"

"This." Ziva removes a plastic evidence bag containing the threatening letter and holds it up for Mr. Bathers to see.

He moves closer, examining the paper through the bag and when Ziva allows him to take it, he holds it up to the light. "Well, it's our paper, but..." he pauses as his eyes quickly scan the typed words of the letter. "Oh, my... does this have to do with that Navy Destroyer that exploded in port?!"

Ziva takes the envelope back from him, maintaining her chain of custody on the evidence. "We believe so, yes. It arrived in our office only hours before the explosion."

"Do you know who may have written it, Judd?" Tony is polite, but his tone clearly lays the blame for the Naval disaster at his feet.

"Wrote it? No! You don't seriously believe someone from our office is responsible, do you?!"

"The paper did come from your company. How many employees do you have here?"

"Here, four hundred or so... worldwide, we have about twelve hundred. And this paper stock is used in all of our offices. There's no way to determine where this one sheet came from... or who typed that letter. I'm sorry, but I think you're grasping at straws here."

"Yes! We are! But that's all we have to go on right now... so if you can drop the corporate party line answers, we'd appreciate your cooperation." Tony was quickly losing his patience at the thought that their only lead may be a dead end.

"Mr. Bathers...Judd, please... you are a veteran... you understand that the loss of so many sailors, just back from the middle east... expecting shore leave in their home port... then to be killed by a terrorist act here... in DC."

Ziva's words hit home and Judd's head drops as he sighs heavily; feeling the loss of his fellow sailors just as intently as they have. He finally looks up, then glances out the window to the reception area to ensure no one is paying attention to their conversation before he speaks.

"I do understand... and it hurts me as much as the next man, but... God! I have no proof..."

"Judd, Please! At this point, we don't need proof... we need leads and we need them fast." Ziva is just as frustrated as Tony, but her diplomatic skills are more finely tuned so she keeps her voice low and controlled as she pushes the lawyer for information.

"This company, Diering Contracting International... was started by our owner and president, Harper Diering. He was a Navy man himself, back in the Vietnam War... he built this company on military contracts and there isn't a more patriotic man alive, I can assure you."

"I'm sensing a but... somewhere in this story?" Tony has moved closer, sensing blood in the water of his story.

"But... Harper's son enlisted in the Navy three years ago. Made his old man so proud... only son, carrying on the family tradition... you get the picture."

"So, what happened to this son?" Ziva again prods him with a gentle smile and Judd Bathers reluctantly gives up the dirty company secret they've been keeping for the past year.

"Harper's son was stationed aboard the USS Gravely, a DDG class destroyer in the Philippine Sea. By all accounts he was loving Navy life and making his old man proud."

"What happened?"

"An accident... on board ship. Some artillery shell wasn't seated properly in the rack and it rolled off. The shell fell to the deck, detonated on impact and killed a dozen crew members."

"And Harper Diering's son... he was one of them, yes?" Judd met Ziva's eyes and nodded.

"So, what? Daddy Diering blames the Navy for his son's death?" Tony is again showing his agitation over this story.

"The Navy, the ship builder, the company that manufactured the artillery shells... you name it, Harper Diering swore vengeance on them all." Judd slowly looks out to the lobby again, then sighs and turns his back to the windows before he continues. "Look, I'm not saying Mr. Diering is responsible... but we, well... we haven't actually seen him for almost seven months."

"Your boss is missing?"

"No, not exactly. He keeps in touch by email, phone calls... not often, but when he feels the need. Mostly I notice it on the company's bank accounts... the unusual travel expenses, the unusual cash withdrawals."

"And you haven't mentioned it to anyone? Outside the company, that is?"

"I haven't even mentioned it to anyone inside the company. It's his company, Agent DiNozzo. We're not a corporation with a board of directors who answer to the stockholders. This is a privately owned company and Harper Diering is the owner. He can do what he wants with is company."

"When was the last time you spoke to him?"

"It must have been about four or five months ago. I noticed some very large cash withdrawals and... I was concerned. So I called him and left a message asking if everything was all right." Judd again looks very nervous suddenly as if something has just occurred to him.

"What is it?" Ziva senses his tension and steps closer, using her interrogation techniques on him now.

"It could be nothing... I mean, in the scope of what he's been through... losing his son, then his wife dying in a car accident a month later. It was just his response to my message... it seemed odd at the time." Judd nervously runs his hands down over his face, feeling the pressure as both agents now step into his personal space. "His response to my message was 'don't worry about it... everything will be put right soon... very soon."


	13. Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

The strain of working the bombing case for the last three weeks was starting to show... even on Gibbs, who never let his emotions show. His team saw the deep circles under his eyes, the irritable growl in his voice and the impatience with their inability to produce any good leads.

Even the DCI paper lead would probably turn out to be a dead end and Gibbs didn't hold out any hope that Tony and Ziva would report back with anything useful tonight. It was already six and he assumed they had hit a dead end since he told them to head home after they finished up there. Gibbs stares around the bullpen, looking from one desk to the next, but they are all empty. He sent Tim and Abby home an hour ago when he found out they had been doing double Caf-Pows all afternoon. There is nothing he can do here tonight either so he reluctantly grabs his jacket to head home.

In his car, his thoughts again turn to the case... he just can't seem to let it go. He is so lost in his thoughts that he doesn't realize where he is going until he finally focuses on the Georgetown brownstone. He hadn't planned to visit Sam and Parker, but apparently his subconscious overruled him. He has been thinking about them a lot lately, especially with the long hours he has been putting in. Gibbs has only managed one quick lunch with Sam in the past two weeks and hadn't seen Parker at all. Maybe his subconscious was right... his previous relationships didn't go well when he neglected spending time with the people he cared for.

Before he can even get to the door, he hears Parker bounding down the stairs, yelling out in his excitement, "Mom... I got it!" Just then the front door is flung open and Parker stands face to face with his hero. Suddenly filled with the doubts that have been plaguing him for the last two weeks, Parker lowers his head, not sure if he is the reason Gibbs has been staying away. He tries to act calm and grown up so he won't see how excited he is to have him back.

"Hey, Gibbs."

"Hey, buddy... how you been?" Gibbs steps inside, but Parker suddenly steps back and closes the door; his eyes on the floor.

Gibbs realizes he has hurt the boy's feelings by not keeping in touch and doesn't want him to think it was because of anything he did. Gibbs turns to face him, reaching out to pull the gangly teenager into his arms. Parker is tense, but doesn't resist as Gibbs hugs him closely; cradling the back of his head with one large calloused hand as he plants a gentle kiss on the boy's head. "I'm so sorry I haven't been around much lately... I missed you so much, Parker."

He feels Parker relaxing in his embrace and gently ruffles his hair before releasing him so they can step back. Parker is once again happy and grins as he playfully punches Gibbs in the arm and teases, "Yea... me too... but not as much as mom. She's been really..."

"Really what?! You better think about your words very carefully, young man." They both turn to see Sam standing in the hallway watching them.

"Uhhh... I wasn't gonna say anything bad, mom... honest!" Parker's blush gives away his embarrassment at having been caught.

Gibbs just chuckles and once again ruffles his hair as he reassures the boy. He then turns his attention to Samantha Ryan, who has never looked more sexy than she does right now with her hands on her hips, an apron around her waist and a smudge of flour on her cheek. When he stops in front of her, he can see she is trying to maintain her stern face, but her smile is edging up at the corner of her mouth.

"You're really... cute with flour on your cheek." Gibbs' voice has dropped to a husky tone and Sam can't resist the tremor that dances along her spine at the intensity of his gaze.

Her hand comes up quickly to brush her cheeks and remove the offending flour smudge, but Gibbs captures her hand before she can dislodge it. He pulls her closer and lowers his lips to the spot as his tongue darts out to wipe it away. He holds her eyes as he gently tilts her head up and brings her lips up to his kiss. She sighs softly as his lips tug gently at hers, but then pull away much too soon.

"Hi." Sam is now smiling and relaxes into his chest, no longer uncomfortable with showing her affection in front of her son. "Glad you could stop by... I have been really..."

"Mom... come on! He just got here and I haven't had a chance to show him my science project... or my new I-Pad or anything!"

Gibbs chuckles and gives her another quick peck on the lips as he whispers, "Hold that thought." Then he turns back to Parker. "I got all evening, buddy. Show me what you got."

As Sam watches them go, she pulls herself together and calls after them, "Okay, okay... go. You have thirty minutes... then dinner will be ready." Gibbs gives her a wink before they disappear upstairs and Sam turns back to the kitchen, trying to calm her suddenly racing heart.

She hadn't expected to see Gibbs tonight and she forced herself not to run to the door with just as much enthusiasm as her son when he arrived. She knew his job was keeping him busy and he would remain focused on the case until it was solved. She just had to be patient and try not to 'help him'. In the past, when she'd had information that could help his investigation she stepped in to help him. Only to quickly find out, Gibbs didn't like it when she dropped bread crumbs for him to follow.

Unfortunately she didn't have any bread crumbs of knowledge about this case. She was read in on the faulty artillery shells and the plan to replace them as quickly as possible without raising attention to the problem. The Navy wanted to keep this problem out of the media... well that had been the plan... up until this latest bombing. Then the media received that anonymous tip that it had been caused by faulty shells and now they were circling like sharks smelling blood in the water.

In her position, Sam heard a lot of whispers on Capitol Hill and at the Pentagon, but she hadn't been able to find out anything about the man responsible. And she knew, if the best minds in this country couldn't identify him... he had to be pure evil and damned smart. That was dangerous because she knew Gibbs was just as smart and more stubborn... he wouldn't rest until he caught him. Sam tried not to worry about him, but she couldn't help it. She had only recently allowed herself to see a future with a happy ending for them, but this case left her with an uneasy feeling that it may not end happily.

When dinner is ready, Sam goes upstairs to find her two men in Parker's room, lying back on his bed with their head and shoulders propped against the wall. Parker is holding his I-PAD and is explaining its features to Gibbs, who is doing his best to look like he understands it all. "Hey... dinner is ready you two. Jethro, I know you haven't eaten yet."

"Nope... but whatever you made sure smells good. Come on, I haven't eaten a home cooked meal in days."

"And just where did you get a home cooked meal? Since you haven't been here in two weeks?" She pretends to be jealous as he loops his arm around her waist and they head back down to the kitchen.

"Abby. She brought in a couple pans of her lasagna and garlic bread one night when we were working late." Parker runs clumsily down the stairs ahead of them, looking more like he is falling than running as he goes. Gibbs chuckles and lowers his voice to ask, "Have you had his legs checked by a doctor? He doesn't seem to be able to control them."

"He's fine... just going through another growth spurt. He's going to be fourteen soon and he'll probably be as tall as you by then."

"He reminds me of a baby giraffe. So how's he been doing the past two weeks?" Gibbs has taken a real interest in Parker's life and loves hearing about his days.

"He misses you... and lately, just the last few days, he's been voicing some concerns." Sam has her arm looped around his waist, her thumb stuck through his belt loop as they walk.

"Is he having nightmares again?" Gibbs stops them at the bottom of the stairs so they can talk in private.

"Not that I know of... he hasn't had those in a couple months now. Its more, just talk about security, being careful... talking about people he sees. I think he's a little nervous when you're not around."

"Sam... you know I would be... if I could." Her fingers on his lips stop his words as she shakes her head and then leans in to him in a soft kiss. Gibbs pulls her closer and takes control as he urges her lips apart to deepen the kiss. They spend several minutes lost in the comfort of being together again, until an impatient voice calls out to them from the kitchen.

"If you're not in here in like... five seconds, I'm gonna dig in ... I'm starving!"

They pull apart with a smile and a silent understanding that their time together will come later. They walk hand in hand, in to the kitchen where Parker is waiting impatiently. Over dinner, Gibbs spends most of his time focusing on Parker and reassuring him that everything is all right. They are careful not to discuss the case, but Parker has heard enough of his mom's conversations to know Gibbs was working on catching a man who killed all those Navy guys on the ship.

* * *

Understanding that his mom and Gibbs need some time together, Parker helps clear the dinner dishes and then heads for the hallway, but stops to glance back at them with a grin. "I'm gonna be in my room... with my headphones on... playing one of my games."

Sam and Gibbs both turn where she is washing and Gibbs is drying the dinner dishes. Parker tries to look casual, but a grin spreads across his face as he adds, "It's a great game... with lots of loud sound effects, so..."

"Ahh, yea, we get it... go." Gibbs is fighting to hide his own grin; knowing Parker is suggesting he wouldn't hear them if they got loud. Sam glares at her son, then turns back to her dishes to hide the blush on her cheeks. Parker and Gibbs are much more comfortable with that topic. Gibbs jerks his head and the teenager hurries up the stairs in his loud, clumsy gait. Gibbs hesitates a moment to control his amusement before he turns back to grab the next dish from the rack. "Looks like there's more than one head-gamer in this family."

Sam simply elbows him in the ribs as she places the last dish in the rack. Gibbs can't hold back his laughter and soon Sam has joined in with him. They finish the dishes together and then grab the bottle of bourbon and two glasses before heading to the den which has become their favorite spot to cuddle. With the fire going in the hearth, Gibbs relaxes back into the leather sofa, kicks off his shoes and rests his feet up on the small coffee table.

Sam hands him his drink and sets the bottle on the table before taking her place at his side, curled up against him with her head on his shoulder. Gibbs takes a long, slow drink from his glass, then sets it aside. They sit in silence for some time, just letting the tension ease out them. Sam understands his need to stay focused on a case, but she also knows he can push himself to the point of exhaustion with his stubborn determination. She wants him to stay with her tonight, but she can't ask him. So instead, her hand begins to caress gentle circles over his chest, moving in rhythm with his slow, deep breathing. Gibbs takes another long drink and then lets his head fall back on the cushions to enjoy her touch.

"Mmnn... feels good... to just sit here... with you." Gibbs tilts his head towards hers so he can press a gentle kiss to her brow, then sighs and closes his eyes.

Sam keeps her caress gentle, but allows her fingers to slowly unbutton his shirt, spreading the material as she allows her caressing fingers to move farther with each pass. His t-shirt prevents her from gliding her fingers through his chest hair, but she curls her fingertips into the fabric, letting her nails create a more intense sensation. After several minutes, Gibbs groans softly and with his eyes still closed, he reaches down to untuck his t-shirt and pull it up. She needs no further invitation as her hand now slips up under the fabric to continue the caress with no barriers.

With each pass, she moves the material further up his torso, exposing him to her touch as well as her eyes. Gibbs even arches his body up to allow her to pull his shirts from the back of his waistband as well. His arm curves around her in a loose, but possessive hold as he draws her in closer to his side. She continues her soft caress until his deep, even breathing tells her he is asleep. As much as she wants a more intense evening with him, she knows how tired he is after three weeks of almost non-stop work on this case. She has things she should be doing, but none of them are as important as lying here next to Gibbs. He needs his rest and she needs to be close to him; calming her own worries that have been nagging at her for the past week.

As soon as the alcohol hit his stomach it began to work its magic in relaxing his mind. Sam's gentle caress didn't hurt either and Gibbs dropped off into a dreamless sleep almost immediately. He felt warm, comfortable and safe in this place and he was reluctant to leave it, but something kept flickering at the edge of his awareness. Something pleasing, but at the same time it made him tense and restless. He tries to ignore it, craving sleep again, but then a new sensation floods his unconscious mind, pulling him up into that realm of semi-sleep where he was not quite awake, but not asleep either.

She had let him sleep for several hours, sitting quietly beside him as she daydreamed about her story book ending where they all lived happily ever after in a house with a white picket fence. Her fantasy had turned to images of Gibbs, hard bodied and intense, hovering over her with that burning blue gaze. Then lowering himself to indulge in the insanity they both crave. While lost in her fantasy world, her hand began to act out her dream almost as if it had a will of its own. Another distinct stroke caused Gibbs to groan softly in his sleep as Sam's hand slid gently down over his manhood and between his legs.

She continues to caress his manhood, stroking it to hardness through the thin fabric of his slacks. She smiles to herself when even in sleep he eagerly responds to her touch. Sam has never been a daring person... never indulged in so many of the sexual exploits of her college friends did back then. She would listen to their stories and blush, wondering how they got the nerve to be so bold. But now, in the comfort of her home, with the man she loves, Sam finds curiosity taking over. She slowly undoes his belt, then his pants, lowering the zipper slowly so as not to wake him.

With that done, she hesitates to ensure she hasn't disturbed him before allowing her hand to snake inside his boxers. She carefully eases his hard shaft out into the open where she can examine it more closely. She's seen it many times, but she's never felt brave enough to actually study it up close with him awake. Besides, when Gibbs was awake... he was in control; so she takes advantage of this rare opportunity to touch every inch of his hard cock, marveling at how firm it is and yet so soft.

Her caress moves gently up over the shaft, mapping the throbbing vein from base to tip. Her fingers cup the darkened head, squeezing it gently then hesitantly feeling the silky texture as her thumb circles the slit. Another groan escapes Gibbs and his hips arch up into her hand, causing Sam to hold perfectly still until he settles back into his slumber. Her heart races with the power of her touch on him. Her curiosity becomes bolder as she strokes his shaft, slowly down its length and back up several times. With one last glance up at his face to ensure he has not awakened, Samantha Ryan does something she never dared do before.

Her head leaves his chest, dropping slowly down to the hard shaft cradled in her hand. Her lips kiss the head gently, feeling the texture before they part to allow her tongue to slip out. It flicks quickly over the head, delighting in the satiny feel. Then with more confidence, Sam begins a true oral exploration of her lover. Her mouth glides down its length, again mapping the vein and feeling the strong pulse with her tongue. The taste, the texture, the smell of her lover is an unexpected thrill and she moans softly as tremors of desire ripple through her. She never imagined it would be so erotic to kiss him in this way.

* * *

Gibbs is no longer craving the deep, dreamless sleep of earlier. Now his body, although not awake is happily floating through this dream existence where some unseen angel is touching him in the most perfect ways. He wants it to go on forever, but at the same time his throbbing manhood demands much more and forces him to wake.

As her mouth hovers above his shaft, she feels Gibbs' hand gliding up her back to curve gently around her neck. She realizes he is awake and wonders if she should stop; suddenly embarrassed at being caught in her exploration. His fingers gently caress her neck; followed by his gruffly whispered plea, "Don't stop, babe... please... it feels so good..."

The intensity in his gentle encouragement and his caressing hand urge her on and she can't resist. Her lips descend once again on the hot, firm head, resting there momentarily until his hand urges her on by ever so slightly pressing on the back of her neck. Her lips part and she allows his cock to slip inside her mouth. They are both overwhelmed by the intense sensation and their mutual moans fill the silent room. She feels his entire body tremble and is filled with a sense of power as she draws back slowly and repeats the motion.

Gibbs is holding his breath, forcing himself to remain still and not thrust up into her hot mouth. He senses her hesitation and knows how sexually repressed she admitted to being before they met. He lets her move at her own pace, but gives her gentle guidance as his fingers curve up around the back of her head. Gentle strokes of his hand guiding her movements and Sam has quickly picks up on what he wants. As her mouth works over his shaft with more confidence, he moans huskily in appreciation of her natural talent.

Sam allows herself to let go, just enjoying the feel of his hard manhood throbbing in her mouth. She lets her lips glide farther down with each stroke while her tongue swirls around; guiding him deeper. Sam quickly discovered that sucking firmly on the up strokes would illicit more deep, rumbling growls from Gibbs. She takes several minutes to perfect her techniques; gauging them off the response she gets from her lover. It isn't long before Gibbs is tensing and lifting his hips off the sofa to meet her mouth; thrusting gently up as she comes down.

Gibbs knows he can't take much more of this delicious torture, but he grits his teeth and tries to hold on as long as he can. He feels the pressure building and can't hold it back much longer as his fingers grip more firmly around her neck, easing her back. "Aaahhh, Sam... baby stop... I'm so close..."

Sam lifts her mouth from him, hesitating at his words and oddly disappointed in being distracted from her task. She is not so naive that she doesn't know what he is referring to... and her college roommates had discussed it. But was she prepared to do this... finish him off? What would it be like? She can hear the heavy breathing, feels his tension and before she even realizes what she is doing, her tongue darts out to once again swirl around the sensitive tip of his cock. Gibbs groans deep in his chest and his hand tightens on her neck, not pulling her away or pushing her closer. In that moment Sam knows she can't stop; can't deny the pleasure of feeling him tremble at her caress. Her mouth drops back onto his shaft and she hums a husky moan along its length as she returns to her task with renewed intensity.

Gibbs is beyond reason and gives in to the raging sensation low in his spine that heads straight through him. He tries to hold on, focusing on the moment, but when her fingers drop slowly down between his legs, caressing his balls Gibbs is lost. He suddenly arches up, pushing his cock deep into her mouth as his life fluids explode down her throat. Sam gags briefly, expecting to be repulsed by the feel... the taste, but she is amazed at the musky, warm essence. She moans softly, milking his pulsing shaft for more until Gibbs finally cries out hoarsely and collapses back onto the sofa, his chest heaving as he gasps for air and sanity.

Reluctant to stop, Sam continues to work her mouth over his shaft as it slowly begins to soften in her grip. Her tongue searches out ever last drop of his essence before finally releasing him to lay her head on his belly. Feeling it rising with his labored breathing she smiles to herself; proud of her new found talent. She gently tucks him back inside his boxers as she realizes, she never had any desire to do this with her ex-husband. Now, she knows why... she never loved him like she does this man.

Gibbs' hand slowly strokes her neck and down her back as his mind begins to function in this world. When he can focus, he curves his arm around her waist, urging her to sit up beside him again, "C 'mere."

She complies, but is suddenly shy, but one look in his eyes gives her more confidence. His next words leave her with no doubt how much he enjoyed it. "Baby... that was amazing... Gimme that talented mouth..." His hand on her neck guides her in for a deep, passionate kiss as his tongue dives in to swirl hungrily around hers. When he tastes the remnants of him there he growls huskily and takes her in a hard, demanding kiss that leaves her breathless. They spend another hour kissing and cuddling as they enjoy this new closeness. When Gibbs finally pulls back, he glances at his watch discreetly, but Sam sees it. It is 0300 hrs and she doesn't want him to go, but she understands. With a gentle kiss, she sits back and lets him know she understands.

"You gotta go... I know. But at least you've had a good meal, a few hours of rest and a little tension release. Now maybe you can focus... so you can close this case and get back to this."

"Don't know if work is my focus right now... but yea, I gotta go." He sighs reluctantly.

She allows him to stand up, quickly buttoning his shirt and tucking it in again. She remains on the sofa, wanting nothing more than to cling to him and beg him to stay. With his shoes back on, he holds out his hand to her and pulls her up to walk with him to the front door. Here, he pulls her into his arms for another slow, intense kiss. When he can finally force himself to pull back, he smiles because he sees her struggle to hide her reluctance to let him go.

"Thank you for dinner... and dessert." He grins and raises one eyebrow suggestively and she blushes.

"We never even got to the cake I baked."

"No need... you're all I ever need, Sam... and I mean it... thank you. For being such an amazing woman... for understanding, knowing what I need... and taking care of me with the most incredible, mind blowing..."

"Okay... I get it... now stop before you make me forget I'm being so understanding." She leans in to give him one last kiss before she steps back and gently pushes him towards the door.

Gibbs holds onto her hand, reluctant to go, but knowing he needs to shower, change clothes and get back to the office. Maybe now with a fresh perspective and some rest he can focus a bit clearer and close this case. He raises her hand to his lips, then draws her back to him. Moaning huskily he kisses her long and deep, imprinting it in his mind for the long days ahead. Then he pulls back and quickly leaves without another word.


	14. Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

Gibbs has been at his desk for a couple of hours, going over every summary from the interviews of the crew. There was an aggravating consistency in the stories that had Gibbs' gut churning already this morning. How could they have interviewed over three hundred sailors and they all saw and heard nothing? There had to be one person onboard who saw a stranger on board... but what if the bomber wasn't a stranger? What if he was Navy himself... or one of the bonded contract workers who roamed around the ships in dock like a horde of ants?

Gibbs is just about to call the Commander of Naval Operations when the elevator's bell draws his attention. He looks over to see Tony and Ziva stepping off the elevator together, followed more slowly by a very pale looking McGee. He watches as they make their way to their desks and drop their gear bags.

"Morning, boss. You pullin' a double... or is it a triple shift by now?"

"Nope. Actually went home, had a good dinner and some sleep. Feelin' pretty good this morning." He can't quite hide the little smirk as he once again recalls how he'd been awakened by Sam earlier this morning.

"Really? Dinner? That can only mean one thing... so how is our good Dr. Ryan?" Tony was sharp and he didn't miss the little smile on his boss's face.

"She's... good." Gibbs gives Tony a warning glare, letting him know that was just about enough talk about his personal life. They all knew about his relationship with Sam, but that didn't mean he talked about it at work.

"Ugh... do you all have to sound so cheerful?! My head is pounding." Tim is holding his head in his hands, trying to contain the constant throbbing inside his brain.

"Tim, you sick?" Gibbs knew the real cause of his ailment. It happened every time he tried to keep up with Abby on her Caf-Pow intake.

"No, boss... just a bit of a... Caf-Pow hang over. I'll be fine." He is digging in his desk drawer for something, but gives up as the effort only makes his head pound harder.

"Here." Gibbs tosses a bottle of aspirin to him and reminds himself to keep a closer eye on his young agent the next time they pull a tough case so he can keep him from doing it again.

Tony and Ziva hide their laughter, knowing McGee never came out the winner when he tried to run with the big dogs. Losing no sympathy on him, they turn their attention to reporting what they found out yesterday.

"Gibbs, our trip to DCI, Incorporated was not a total breast." Ziva as usual has mistaken her words and looks over to Tony as a sudden bark of laughter escapes him and is quickly covered by a pretend cough. Gibbs' eyes are focused on her also as Tony corrects her slip.

"Bust, Ziva... not a total bust. And she is correct, boss. We were able to confirm the paper is exclusive to that company."

"That's good."

"Yes, and no. They have offices all over the world... fourteen hundred employees in total with over four hundred of them right here in DC... and they all use that exact paper."

Just when Gibbs is about to let his frustration show at this new dead-end, Tony holds up a hand to stop him. He then gestures to Ziva, who holds out the business card given to her by Judd Bathers.

"This is the good, Gibbs. Judd Bathers, former Navy JAG Officer, currently employed with DCI as their legal counsel."

"And why is this guy so good?" Gibbs was usually amused by how his team presented information; one starting a sentence while the other finished it. It showed they were working together, minds on the same page. Now, he was trying hard not to head slap them both for their roundabout way of getting to the real information.

"Mr. Bathers was very enlightening about the company's owner... that is after we convinced him to drop the politically correct corporate response." Tony turns to McGee, who has raised his head to listen.

He is about to toss the thumb drive to his coworker, but then changes his mind and hands it to Ziva. With a jerk of his head towards McGee and a comical frown, Ziva snickers and takes the small data storage device from him. She leans over Gibbs' desk and inserts the drive into the port on his computer. She is about to attempt to use his keyboard upside down when Gibbs slaps her hand away and punches the keys to bring the data up the Plasma behind his desk.

A photo of Harper Diering appears on the plasma screen, one downloaded from his corporate publicity file. Gibbs stares at it for a moment, then motions to the image with impatience. "You got more than a photo of Fornell's long-lost brother?!"

Tony and Ziva both tilt their heads to the side, examining the photo with new eyes as they realize Diering does resemble Fornell to some extent. "Oh, yea... I see it now."

"Yes, in the nose, the same beady eyes..."

"God Damn it! Do not make me head slap you both! Who the hell am I looking at!?"

The two agents are stunned into silence as they reflexively take a step back from his desk. A low groan distracts them all as McGee covers his hears at Gibbs' raised voice, then sinks down to rest his forehead on his desk.

"McGee! Get down to Ducky and see what he can do for you... and you two... start talking, NOW!"

Tony and Ziva quickly starts rattling off the information they know about Harper Diering from his own past in the Navy to the formation and success of his company, DCI. Gibbs listens intently, until they get to the part about Diering's son being killed in a faulty shell accident two years ago.

"You're telling me this guy lost his son to one of those faulty shells and he goes off the deep end and disappears for the past nine months... AND I'M JUST NOW HEARING ABOUT THIS?!"

Tony and Ziva realize their mistake in not bringing this information to Gibbs as soon as they discovered it late yesterday afternoon. They mistakenly thought the information could wait until this morning, but apparently they were wrong. McGee is just heading towards the back hallway, on his way to go see Ducky when Gibbs' shout halts him in his tracks.

"McGee! Cancel that trip to see Ducky! Get back here and start running every financial record you can find on this guy! And you two..." Gibbs is interrupted when his cell phone rings. He glances at the screen, intent on ignoring the caller, but frowns when he sees it is Parker. "You two, get started tracking all of Diering's assets, personal and corporate. Yea, Parker, what's up?"

He stands up and walks away from the group so he can have some privacy... not sure why Sam's son is calling him during his school day. "I... I don't mean to bother you at work, Gibbs, but..."

"Parker, its fine... what's wrong?"

"I... I was just wondering if you had someone watching my school... umm, I mean me. I know how careful you are and stuff."

"Parker, there are probably school security officers there."

"Is he here for our protection? Am I safe here? Is mom safe?!" His tone has gotten progressively more panicky as he talked and Gibbs realizes something is definitely not right. "This man... he tried to make me go with him. He said mom was worried and wanted me to come home. Gibbs, mom isn't at home! And this guy didn't have the code word me and mom use now!"

Gibbs knows about the safety code word, given to him by Sam for when he had to go pick Parker up from school some time. His gut is really churning now as he tries to keep the boy calm. "Parker, where are you?"

"I'm in the nurse's office. I pretended I had a stomach ache. I don't want to be here, Gibbs."

"Its gonna be all right, Parker. I'm on my way. You stay in the office until I get there, you hear? Do not leave with anyone!" Gibbs doesn't even care that his voice has carried over to his team and they are standing around watching him. He hurries out on his way to get Parker and find out who approached him at school.

* * *

As Gibbs arrives at the school, his car skids to a stop partly on the sidewalk out front. The crossing guard is about to advise him this is not a proper parking space, but when she sees the man jumping out of the car with a gun, she changes her mind. Gibbs does a quick pivot to scan the entire area, but doesn't see any men standing around. He holsters his gun and runs into the school office. He finds Parker in the nurse's office looking frightened. The nurse is with him and stands up to greet Gibbs.

"I'm Cindy Williams, school nurse. You must be Agent Gibbs, Parker's father?" Obviously Parker told her this information.

Gibbs doesn't even bother to correct her and simply nods as he goes to kneel in front of the trembling boy. It is obvious this has greatly shaken him; especially since his kidnapping was not even six months ago. Gibbs knows he can't leave Parker here and from the way the boy was tightly gripping his hand, he wasn't going to be able to leave him with anyone else either. Gibbs tries to keep his voice calm, hoping Parker will realize there is nothing to fear.

"Hey, buddy. You feeling a little seasick?" Parker just nods his head at the secret pass word and refuses to let go of Gibbs' hand.

"He complained of a stomach ache, and I checked him for a fever... it was normal, but he's been shivering since he got here. Probably just some bug going around. I'll sign him out if you're going to take him home."

Gibbs stands up and keeps Parker's hand in his as he grabs his backpack and leads him from the office with a quick thank you to the nurse. He scans the front entrance and once again sees no one suspicious around as they head for his car. Once seated inside, Gibbs starts the car and asks the question he couldn't in front of the nurse. "Where did you see this man?"

"Around the side... over there by the science building. He called me by name... said mom wanted me to come home. I ran... he didn't have the pass word... so I ran."

"You did good, Parker... real good. Have you seen this guy before? Here?" Gibbs puts the car in gear and drives slowly away from the school hoping Parker will spot him on the way.

"Yea, I told mom about the guy last week. He was just standing around school... staring at me while we were on the rugby field. I... I thought... I thought you sent him... as protection."

"No, I didn't... and I would have told you if I had done something like that. Don't worry, we'll figure this out... but first we need to get back to NCIS."

Parker sits quietly for the rest of the ride, still trembling occasionally but obviously calmer now that he was with Gibbs. Once they return, Gibbs places his hand on the boy's shoulder as he escorts him into the squad room. Three sets of eyes follow their progress, wondering who this boy is, but not daring to voice their curiosity. Gibbs is just about to tell Parker to have a seat at his desk when the boy stops dead in his tracks in the middle of the room. Gibbs almost bumps into him; feeling the tension in the boy return as his body is overcome with violent trembling. Parker's eyes are glued to the plasma screen behind his desk, staring at it in fear.

"Parker, what is it?"

"Him! That's the guy! You did know who he was! Did you send him!?" Parker is near panic again and Gibbs quickly snaps his fingers at McGee and the screen goes dark. He turns Parker around to face him and holds him by both shoulders to focus his fear.

"Hey, look at me... I did not send that man to your school. Are you sure that's the man who tried to get you to leave with him?!"

"Yes... that's him... who is he?" Parker is now aware of the others who have begun to crowd around them, realizing this has something to do with their case.

Gibbs doesn't answer the boy, but stands up to address his team. "Ziva, BOLO out on Diering, NOW! He was seen at Oak Harbor Academy not more than two hours ago. DiNozzo, notify Metro, Capital, State and any other agencies in the DC area who we're looking for."

He leads Parker to his chair and motions for him to sit down as he snaps his cell phone open and hits the speed dial number to Sam's cell. "Yea, it's me... you need to get over here right away. No, it's Parker... he's with me. He's fine, but we got a problem." He closes his phone and glances around his desk to make sure there are no more photos of Diering in sight. "Your mom's on her way, buddy... then we'll get this worked out. You all right?"

"Yea, I'm okay... but I don't want to leave... I want to stay here with you." Gibbs sees the worry in his eyes and knows his fears from the kidnapping have returned.

"I'm right here... not going anywhere, pal." He pats the boy on the shoulder and then turns to stare at the black plasma screen, trying to decipher this latest puzzle piece.

What is connection between their primary bombing suspect, Harper Diering and Parker Ryan? Or did it have something to do with Sam? She was the more likely target and using her son as leverage would guarantee her cooperation. It isn't long before Sam arrives, flying out of the elevator at a run as her eyes scan the room quickly for her son. Gibbs raises a hand as he sees she is as close to panic as her son had been.

"Easy, Sam. He's fine. Called me from school because some guy tried to make him leave school with him."

"What?!" Panic surges through her as thoughts of their kidnapping fill her mind.

"Guy didn't have the pass word and Parker did the right thing... he ran straight to the office and called me." He knows he can't discuss the rest of the story with her until she's seen for herself that her son is all right. He motions Parker to come join them and she envelopes him in a tight hug, unable to control her own fears for the moment.

When she pulls back, Parker is a little embarrassed by her mothering. "Mom, come on... I'm okay. That guy just freaked me out, that's all." He acts much calmer in her presence than he had with Gibbs; wanting to put on a brave face for his mother.

"What guy, honey? Was this the man you told me about? You never said he tried anything!"

"Sam, I'll explain it all to you in a minute. Parker, why don't you go with Agent McGee and grab a soda in the break room. Tim?"

"Sure thing, boss. Come on Parker." Tim is beside the boy giving him his best smile and Parker looks reluctantly at Gibbs. With a quick head jerk in Tim's direction Parker complies and allows the young agent to lead him out of the bullpen area.

When they are sure he is gone, Gibbs grabs the remote and brings up the photo of the man on the plasma once again. "You know this guy, Doc?"

Sam is quiet, stunned to see the familiar face on the screen. There had to be some mistake... why would this man be at Parker's school? She darts glance at Gibbs, holding his eye as she nods nervously and looks back to the image on the screen.

"His company, DCI, does contract work for us... and by us, I mean the United States military. They do contract inspections around the world on air quality, working conditions... kind of like OSHA in the business world."

"Do they do these inspections onboard our fleet ships?" Gibbs is finally seeing the missing link from all those interviews where no one saw anyone suspicious.

"Yes, ships, docks, warehouses, office buildings, embassies... outposts all around the world. The government can't keep up with the number of inspections that need to be done... so they contract out to this company. Gibbs, are you trying to tell me Harper Diering tried to snatch my son today?!"

"Yup. Parker was terrified when I got there. Had him almost calmed down by the time we got back here, but he froze up again at the site of Diering on the plasma. Got any idea why the deranged millionaire owner of DCI would be stalking you and your son?"

"I... no! I mean... deranged? I don't think I would call him deranged..." She suddenly stops speaking at the scowl on Gibbs' face. "Gibbs! Aahh...!"

He suddenly grabs her arm and propels her towards the stairs and Sam hurries to keep up, knowing this was not the time to get all indignant about his treatment. When they reach the Vance's office, Gibbs barges in as usual; catching his boss in the middle of a call. Gibbs slams the door behind them; leaving no doubt about his temper at the moment. One look at the anger on Gibbs' face and the hold on Dr. Ryan's arm tells Vance this is serious. He hesitates, then tells his caller he'll have to call them back before hanging up the phone. He leans forward in his chair as Gibbs moves Sam in front of one of the chairs and releases her arm. He moves over to the other chair, but doesn't sit down as Leon looks from one to the other.

"Okay, you wanna tell me what this is all about?"

"Thought you'd better hear this one for yourself, Leon. Our bombing suspect... apparently is an old friend of Dr. Ryan, here." He put enough emphasis on the 'old friend' part that they both realize he thinks the man was more than a friend to her at some point.

"He is not and has never been... in my life, Jethro!" Sam finally snaps out of her shock at his attitude and suddenly realizes why he is acting like this.

"NO? Then explain why you were defending him down there... not two minutes ago, Doc!"

"All right, ENOUGH! Both of you sit down and tell me what the hell's going on... and who the hell are we talking about?"

"Harper Diering, millionaire government contractor... who's son died on a Navy ship when a faulty shell detonated! Now I find out this same guy tried to grab Parker, her son, from school today... and he's been watching him for at least a week!"

"Dr. Ryan... you want to explain how you know this guy? And why he's intent on nabbing your son? Better yet... tell me why he's intent on blowing up the US Navy." Vance's sarcasm stings and Sam knows she can't hold anything back.


	15. Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15

"Yes... I know Harper Diering, but I did not have a relationship with him. I met him at a Capitol Hill fund-raiser that hosted a lot of government contractors. He was there courting new contracts. I was there to... evaluate the contractors."

"So, it was a working party for you?"

"I do get paid by the DOD for doing a job, Director Vance... and as much as the members of NCIS believe it's only to get inside your heads... that is not true. Yes, I was told to mingle with certain contractors and evaluation them... for their suitability, shall we say?"

"And Diering was one of those guys, Doc?" Gibbs is still suspicious about the way she defended him so quickly.

"No, he'd been a contractor with us for several years so... for lack of a better term; he'd been vetted. Harper approached me in the crowd and we talked... mainly about his contracts and his company. But I could tell he was holding something back... and I was curious. He was a contractor after all and my job is to use my intuition about people."

"So you met up with him again. How many times?" Again the edge to Gibbs' voice indicates he believes there was more to it than professional contacts.

"He contacted me... about a week later, asked if we could do lunch. I agreed and that's when he told me about the loss of his son... and his wife. He was a mess, emotionally and needed someone to talk to... I just offered to listen, that's all."

Sam looks from Gibbs to Vance, seeing the skepticism on both of their faces now. She hadn't wanted to drag all this out into the open, but it was clear they weren't going to be satisfied with a partial story.

"I'm a psychiatrist... but I'm not a clinical psychologist. After the fifth or sixth time he called asking to meet so we could talk... I began to feel uneasy."

"In what way?" Vance sits back in his chair and steeples his fingers in front of him as he often does when he's listening.

"I felt he was using his personal tragedy as an excuse..."

"He start coming on to you?" Gibbs can see the answer in her eyes, but asks it anyway.

"Yes... sort of. His talking started to focus on me, not him... not his loss. It's called associative transference and in the clinical world, when a therapist becomes the target of a client's interest... they move that client to another therapist."

"And is that what you did? Refer him to another therapist?"

"I wasn't actually his therapist... but yes, I found myself in that situation. Out of the blue he started talking about rebuilding his life with me... and how happy we would be together. I had to tell Harper it wasn't going to happen and I wouldn't be able to talk to him any longer. I referred him to a colleague of mine who is very good with survivor's guilt counseling."

"You think her rejection of Diering could have caused him to snap, Gibbs?

"You can't deny he tried to take Parker today... and he's been watching them. Probably has been since he met her... maybe he was trying to replace the wife and son he lost? He's fixated on you and Parker to do it, Sam."

"Okay, as crazy as that sounds... my dealings with him were almost two years ago. It still doesn't explain any connection to the Navy and why he would suddenly bomb a naval ship now."

Vance looks from one to the other, knowing of their personal relationship and suddenly seeing the connection. He leans forward again, pointing his finger at Gibbs. "What if the connection is sitting right here. You reject Diering's interest... then he finds out you're dating Gibbs. He turns his rejection and rage on the Navy. After all, he did do it here, at a naval base in our jurisdiction... maybe he wanted Gibbs to be the investigator on this."

"That would mean he's been watching me... and Parker for over a year! Not only is that creepy, it's just plain crazy." She feels true fear now since she has always taken great pains to keep her personal life a secret... for just this type of scenario; except she always thought her stalker would be her ex-husband, Liam Colson.

Gibbs' eyes suddenly narrow as if reading her mind. That nagging doubt he's always had about Colson's ability to get to Sam finds its way to the surface. He suddenly stands up and heads for the door; stopping as he opens it to look back at them. "I gotta check on something... Sam, you or Parker do not leave the building, understood?"

She is stunned by his sudden departure as he hurries out before she can even answer him. After he is gone, Sam looks back at Director Vance in confusion, hoping he can tell her what just happened. Vance just shrugs to express his own confusion and picks up his phone to request an agent be assigned to Dr. Ryan and her son while they are in the building... not as an escort, but as protection. If Diering was capable of putting a bomb on a ship without anyone noticing, he was capable of anything. When the agent arrives, he escorts Dr. Ryan down to the lounge where Parker is sitting with McGee, discussing different Apps for his I-Pad.

* * *

Gibbs finds Ducky in much the same position he's seen him in for the past several days, bent over his examination table working on the sailors from the explosion.

"Palmer... take a break!"

Palmer jumps as Gibbs' stern order is barked at him, but hesitates to comply as Dr. Mallard looks from Gibbs to him. Ducky can see this is something urgent and nods to his assistant, "Why don't you run those samples up to Abby, if you please?"

Palmer quickly grabs the samples and hurries out of the room. Ducky stands still, watching as Gibbs now paces back and forth on the opposite side of the table. Obviously something is bothering him, but Ducky has learned from past experience not to rush his friend.

"Ducky... your trip back home... did you find out anything?" Gibbs now stops and stares intently at the older man. "I mean, did you find anything that would explain Colson's release? How he got the plane? How he financed this whole thing?"

"Yes, Jethro, I did, but in light of the more pressing situation with this bombing investigation, we decided to postpone that conversation for later. What makes it so urgent now?"

"The bombing is related to an attempted abduction of Sam's son, Parker, today... and I think it may be linked to their first abduction by Colson."

"Do you have a suspect? I hadn't heard any developments of that sort and usually Abby is quick to inform us down here in the bowels of the building."

"Ducky, please... what did you find out?!" Gibbs impatience finally surfaces and his eyes show his worry. "Was it a guy named Diering?!"

"Why, yes... it was. We were able to discover that Colson's release from prison was masked by falsifying his death. The Royal Surgeon, a chap from Northern Ireland, appears to have been paid off to forge first a medical transfer to minimum security, then his death. Colson was literally rolled out of prison on a gurney."

"And this surgeon... who paid him off?"

"My associate at Scotland Yard was able to discover that an American Company, owned by a Harper Diering was behind it all. Colson made his way back to Northern Ireland with help from his old crew, where a private jet... again, owned by one of Diering's corporations was waiting. I believe it had been a pre-arranged agreement for Colson to come here and find Dr. Ryan... however, I have no idea what Mr. Diering got in return."

"I do. That explains so much... how Colson found her... how Diering got the expertise to build and place that bomb. It was a trade-off."

"A trade-off? In what way?" Ducky's curiosity will have to wait as his question is called after the quickly retreating back of Agent Gibbs. He sighs and looks down at the body on his table. "I'm afraid you and I will have to wait for the answers to those questions."

* * *

Gibbs finds Sam and Parker in the break room and takes a deep breath to calm himself before he approaches. His cover convinces the boy as he places a hand on his thin shoulder. "Hey, what are you guys doing?"

"I'm showing mom my new science Apps that will help me with physics. Tim is great!" He smiles up at Gibbs, seeming to have forgotten the trauma of earlier.

"Nice... hey, can I borrow your mom for a few minutes, buddy?" Gibbs says this to Parker, but his eyes are on her. Sam sees it for what it is; a calm front to cover his need to talk to her about this case.

Parker just shrugs and turns his attention back to his I-Pad; having grown accustomed to their need for private time. Gibbs motions to the agent to stay with Parker and escorts Sam down the hall and into an unused private room where they can talk. He sees the worry in her eyes and knows of no easier way to break this news to her than to just say it.

"Sam... after your kidnapping... I told you it was over, and it was... but my gut told me there was a piece missing so I kept digging. I needed to know how he got out of prison... how he got his hands on a private jet... and how he found you two."

"And... you found out?" She says the words as a question, but deep inside she already knows what the answer is going to be.

"Yea... Ducky did some digging while he was in Scotland for his reunion. It was Harper Diering. He arranged to pay off the right people to get Colson smuggled out of prison on a phony death certificate. He supplied them with the funding, the jet and your location... Sam, he was behind your abduction by Colson."

"But how?!" Sam's mind is racing furiously as she tries to find the connection between Diering and her ex-husband. "Gibbs, I never mention my ex... not to anyone! You know how careful I am to hide my past. How did Diering make that connection?!"

He sees the panic return to her eyes as she frantically tries to make sense of what's happened. Gibbs has just as many questions about that portion of the puzzle and he's determined to find out, but for right now his priority is her. He pulls her into his arms, holding her close as he comforts her. "I don't know, babe... but I'll find out. The important thing now is keeping you and Parker safe."

He places soft kisses along her temple, silently reassuring her that nothing is going to happen to them. He won't let anything happen ... not now... not when he's finally found love again. He eases her back until their eyes meet and he smile, "I won't let anything happen, Sam... you know why?" She shakes her head and he kisses her gently before he continues, "Because... last night, when I went home to change... I realized how cold and lonely my place is. Without you and Parker there, that's my life... and I don't want that... I want us to be a family."

Sam smiles as tears fill her eyes. "Jethro, we love you too... we want you in our lives."

"Even with a boat in the basement?" His smirk curls the edge of his mouth.

Sam feels her heart melting all over again. "Especially with a boat in the basement." She leans in to kiss him, letting him feel the emotion behind her words. He sighs and pulls her closer, taking the sweetness she offers as they lose themselves in the moment. When the kiss slowly comes to an end, Gibbs rubs his hand slowly up and down her back, then reluctantly steps back.

"Come on... we gotta update the Director and get you and Parker to a safe house."

Sam is about to object until she realizes that if Diering knows where Parker goes to school, then he knows where she lives and most likely where Gibbs lives too. They grab Tony and Ziva on the way and fill Vance in on the latest developments. They all agree that until they know where the leak came from, no one outside this room would know where she and her son would be.

* * *

Diering knows they are on to him after NCIS visited his office yesterday. The paper had given it away, just as he intended, but he had to admit, they figured it out much quicker than he had anticipated. That's why he changed his plans. He had planned to create a little more havoc and make Agent Gibbs pay for taking her from him. He wanted to watch Gibbs suffer over the kidnapping and death of Dr. Ryan and her son, but now he needed to change his plan since they had somehow managed to survive.

Getting ahold of Parker Ryan was the next step in his new plan. He hadn't anticipated the boy's reluctance to come with him. After all he was respectable; not like that violent thug of an ex-husband that was his father. Diering still can't see what Dr. Ryan ever saw in him... but the knowledge of her past had been invaluable at a time when he needed it. The money it cost him to get it was nothing compared to the satisfaction he got from finding a source of expertise in building bombs. Ever since she'd rejected him... a self-made millionaire with power and influence, for that government do-gooder at NCIS, he knew he could take care of two problems at the same time.

With his plan to abduct Parker postponed, Diering moves on to the next surprise he has planned for NCIS and Agent Gibbs. He uses his knowledge and world connections to place a call in to the brain of NCIS. The MTAC operator receives the strange incoming call and is reluctant to accept it. Then the caller mentions information about the bombing and a need to speak to Agent Gibbs right away. An urgent call is made to Director Vance who hurries from his office to see Gibbs just preparing to leave the building.

"Gibbs! MTAC NOW!"

Gibbs rushes up the stairs and follows his boss into the secure MTAC viewing room. What they see stuns them both as Harper Diering's face fills the screen. Before they can even question how he managed to get a video link into this secure site, Diering addresses them both.

"Good, Director Vance... Agent Gibbs, I'm glad you are both there to hear what I have to say. You've been to my company and are currently combing through my life with a fine tooth comb. Let me save you the trouble... my son was killed by the Navy's incompetent leadership and cover-up. My life was destroyed again when my wife died in that tragic accident on her way back from his Navy memorial service in DC."

"And that justifies you killing dozens of sailors, just like your son, Mr. Diering?" Vance is trying to put this back on him, but Diering is not about to be interrupted and ignores the question.

"Then, to add insult to injury... YOU, Agent Gibbs stole everything from me! You took my last chance at happiness! You of all people, should understand my motives... having lost your own family so long ago."

Gibbs keeps his composure, but his eyes narrow at the mention of his own family tragedy. Not many people outside NCIS knew about that and once again Gibbs wonders where Diering is getting his information. "I didn't steal anything from you, Diering... they were never yours."

Vance gives Gibbs a glare, silently warning him not to antagonize the man they know has the power, money and means to take out his anger on more Navy personnel. The warning does little good as Diering's face turns red with his rage and he screams at them.

"I WILL END YOU, GIBBS!" And with that he pulls the camera phone back from his face to pan it to his surroundings.

Vance and Gibbs both gasp at the same time as they recognize the central courtyard of the Navy Yard, just one building over from where they are located. How in the hell did he get into the Navy Yard when everyone in a four state radius has the BOLO out on him!

Diering moves the camera back to his own face, calmer now as he sneers at them with evil intent. "Now you'll pay, Gibbs... you have two minutes to find my next... aah, surprise for you."

And with that the connection is severed and the screen goes dark. Even before Vance can begin barking out orders to notify security to shut down the Navy Yard and evacuate the area, Gibbs is racing up the ramp and out of the room.


	16. Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16

Sam and Parker were driven out to a safe house in woods of northern Virginia. Located at the end of a dead end road, in a valley between the northern end of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Shenandoah River. It had been chosen for its unique location and inaccessibility. The closest structures were the religious commune five miles up the road. People who mistakenly drove down that road into the commune, took one look at those identically painted white buildings with black shutters, manicured lawns and unfriendly people who ran inside and shuttered their windows; and immediately thought of the Bates Motel and turned around.

The only people who knew were Vance, Gibbs and the two agents he assigned to drive them out there. Tony and Ziva were his best agents and he would not trust Sam and Parker to anyone else. And they'd been with him in Spain. On the drive, Sam had questioned whether they would be allowed to stop at home in order to pack up a few things, but per Gibbs' instructions they were not to make any stops. Ziva assured her they would have spare clothing available at the cabin. The cabin was actually a three bedroom house with high tech security cameras all around, electronic motion sensors and satellite connection to avoid tapping of any lines.

Tony takes his job very seriously and being entrusted with the safety of Gibbs' current love interest posed a special challenge. Dr. Samantha Ryan was, if anything as scary... if not scarier than Gibbs. So pumping her for personal information about Gibbs and his personal life wouldn't be easy. Every time he spoke with Ryan, she somehow managed to get inside his head and he ended up talking about his own life. He'd better focus his attention on the boy, after all, how tough could it be to get information out of a thirteen year old boy?

Ziva is much more focused on the job at hand and doesn't let such ideas even enter her head. When they arrive at the cabin, she goes in first to check it out and ensure it has not been compromised in any way. Then she signals for the others to come inside and get settled. She shows Dr. Ryan to a room with two beds. "I believe this room will best suit your needs, Dr. Ryan."

"Ziva... please, its Sam. I mean we're hardly on formal footing, right? We're more like family."

"Are we? Yes, I guess in some ways that is true. Tony and I will take the other two rooms and we ask only that you not leave the cabin unless one of us is with you. That will, of course, go for both you and Parker."

Parker enters the room, looking somewhat nervously at the cramped accommodations and having to share a room with his mother. "Mom, can't I take the other room?"

"There isn't a lot of room here, Parker and we're guests... we'll stay where we're told, okay?"

"But... mom?! Can't I at least share a room with Agent DiNozzo? Please!"

Ziva and Sam exchange a glance, understanding the concerns of a teen-age boy and his need for independence and privacy. Just then, Tony appears in the doorway, having overheard the conversation and takes the opportunity to get some alone time with his best source for information. "Hey... I don't mind sharing with Parker... if that's okay with you, mom... I mean, Dr. Ryan?"

Sam looks from Tony to her son and realizes things are stressful enough for him without having to share a room with his mother. She finally nods and grabs her jacket off the bed as she concedes, "Fine. Just keep the talk on safe topics, Agent DiNozzo... or you and I'll be talking, understood?"

"Sure, no talk about all night co-ed frat parties or..." His words fade away as Samantha Ryan stops in the door frame, standing nose to nose with him. Her smile doesn't reach her eyes and the glare tells him not to mess with her... or her son. Tony just salutes her and backs out of the way so she can get by. "Got it!"

After Sam has entered one of the other bedrooms, Ziva leaves them alone so she can go check the surveillance equipment, which is set up in a corner of the living room. Tony walks back into the bedroom he'll be sharing with Parker and shakes his head, chuckling over his mother's warning. "Moms, huh?"

"Don't let her intimidate you, Agent DiNozzo. She's not as mean as she wants people to think she is."

"I'm not intimidated... you forget, I work for Leroy Jethro Gibbs. And for the record... Agent DiNozzo is out... it's Tony, okay?" Parker smiles and takes the hand that Tony has extended to him as a sign of their new alliance.

* * *

As Gibbs races around the corner of the NCIS office building, he is scanning the area for Diering, but doesn't see him anywhere. The courtyard is coming into view and Gibbs can see the bench in the center where he'd been sitting only moments before. Gibbs lowers his gun when all he sees is a cell phone lying on the bench. Diering is gone and there doesn't appear to be anything else suspicious in the area. Gibbs stops next to it, spinning around as he searches for a bomb, when he sees a group of five Navy Officers coming into the courtyard from the opposite side. Waving his arms, Gibbs races towards them as he warns them of the pending danger.

"Stop! BOMB! Get back!"

As they stop in their tracks, unsure which direction to go, Gibbs hears the cell phone on the bench ringing. He dives straight for the group, acting as a human bowling ball as he knocks them all down in one lunge. Just then the park bench explodes, causing the concrete material to fly through the air in all directions like shrapnel. The concussion is deafening and numerous windows are blown out in the neighboring buildings. When the smoke clears and he has a chance to look around Gibbs sees no one dead and sighs in relief.

Other agents and security personnel come running to assist and the scene is quickly contained. A few people in the surrounding offices were injured by flying glass and one of the officers tackled by Gibbs has a chunk of concrete imbedded in his lower leg. The other officers merely had cuts and scratches from being thrown to the ground, but in light of the incident consider themselves lucky.

The bomb squad quickly responds and sweeps the surrounding area for secondary devices, but find none. They determine the bomb had been attached to the underside of the stone bench. The bomb was small and only capable of causing damage to anyone in the direct vicinity of that bench. Gibbs knew it was meant for him, since Diering had told him he had only two minutes to find it. He knew it was foolish to race into the area like that, but now he was furious. Furious that Diering was able to walk into their home... furious that he was able to set off another bomb right under their noses... and furious that Diering was putting the people Gibbs loved in danger. Gibbs had to end this now.

Gibbs and Vance meet up back in his office after the scene settles down to discuss this latest development. Diering breached MTAC's secure feed and, more or less, taunted them by practically sitting outside their window while he did it... that had them worried because he had to have inside information on the operations here. It had to be someone inside NCIS that leaked the information to this guy. They both have their suspicions how the information on his and Sam's pasts got leaked, so they can't risk letting anyone outside their team knowing their next move.

McGee joins their discussion and brings some disturbing news. "Boss, I was digging through Diering's financials like you said... and I found this." He presses the thumb drive into the side of the plasma screen in Vance's office, then brings up the information. "Diering is a big supporter of any event where top ranking military leaders will be. I was following a money trail to the Florida Keys and realized it coincided with the Joint Chief's Golf retreat there at the same time."

"Was Diering invited to that? My understanding was that it was private." Vance steps closer to the screen as McGee brings up a couple of photos he found associated with the event.

"Apparently so... there he is in the photos alongside..." he doesn't get the chance to finish as both Vance and Gibbs say the name together.

"The Secretary of the Navy."

Both men exchange a glance. Martin Knowles was known for being a talker when he was drinking. In one of the photos, he and Diering are in a bar, obviously drinking and having a good time. The other photo is a formal shot of the attendees, which included a couple of other top ranking government contractors. Apparently the retreat served to discuss business outside the scrutinizing eyes of DC.

With this information, Gibbs and Vance decide to leak bogus safe house information to SECNAV in order to see if he is the leak. If not, then they would move on to the next person in the photo and so on, until they found their mole. The plan was risky because Diering's contact could be anyone... but Gibbs had that gut feeling and he didn't like it. After leaving Vance's office, he pulls McGee aside and gives him a new assignment.

"McGee, keep on the financials, but I want you to find any link between SECNAV and this bastard, you got that?! Any link, McGee!"

"On it, boss... and I'll report back to..." McGee glances back to the door of Vance's office.

"To me, McGee... only to me." His agent nods and hurries off to continue his assignment.

Gibbs sighs heavily, hoping Martin wasn't somehow mixed up in all of this. He didn't believe he would intentionally leak information, but Martin had a history of having a loose tongue when he drank. Then again... it had been rather strange for him to just stop by Sam's office like that. Maybe there was more to his involvement... maybe he wanted Sam out of the way too. Gibbs heads back into Vance's office so they can set the trap and lay out the bait.

* * *

After settling in to the safe house, Parker quickly became bored and decided to seclude himself in his room with his I-Pad. That left quiet time in the house because neither agent felt comfortable talking with Dr. Ryan. She was used to that reaction... a lot of people were intimidated by what she did and thought she had some supernatural power to read their minds. Like Abby, who truly believed Sam could get inside her head... it was amusing to mess with her, but she was careful not to push the psychic routine too far.

Sam is also bored and noting the time, she decides to make herself useful by getting started on dinner. She quickly scans the fully stocked kitchen and finds the makings of a decent meal as she begins pulling ingredients out to make Chicken Peccata. Cooking was one of Sam's true loves and it also served to calm her mind. As she works, she becomes aware of someone watching her and looks up to see Ziva standing in the doorway.

"Ziva... care to join me?"

"I am not very... comfortable in the kitchen." Even so, she moves into the room and takes a seat at the kitchen island to watch Sam's preparations.

"What? Mossad doesn't offer a culinary survival course?"

"If you mean surviving in the desert... eating scorpions and lizards... then yes, but nothing as... civilized as this." They both chuckle at Ziva's description and some of the uncomfortable tension eases between them.

"I love to cook. You could say it's my stress relief... like Gibbs and his boat, I guess."

"But with a more useful purpose. You can hardly eat Gibbs' creations."

"No, but they are nice to take out on the ocean for a day of fishing. Have you ever been?"

"Fishing? On Gibbs' boat? No, it is still in his basement."

"Not that one. The one he made before that one... well, actually it's the one he made previously to the one he made before that one. He burned the one before that one."

Ziva is surprised to see Samantha Ryan talking about Gibbs like he is any other man and isn't sure how much information she is willing to share. Sam keeps her eyes on her work, but notices the younger woman's hesitation. "He named that one The Diane..."

"Ah, enough said as to why he burned it then, yes?"

"Yes. The one we take out is The Kelly. The craftsmanship is amazing."

"As it should be... Gibbs would put great effort into creating something to be named after his daughter."

While they talk in the kitchen, Tony sits watching the monitors and trying to overhear what he can of their conversation. He knew about the previous boats... knew that Gibbs had burned The Diane after his divorce, but he didn't know he still had The Kelly. The last he knew Gibbs had sailed it down to Mexico and given it to Mike Franks as a gift. Apparently after Mike's death, Gibbs had brought it back home.

It was hard to picture their boss in any setting outside of work, but Tony had been to his house enough times over the years to know he didn't put much effort into his home. Yes, he maintained the house well, but there wasn't anything really personal there. Maybe that's why Gibbs never locked his front door... there was nothing in the house he was concerned about losing. Maybe that was changing now with his relationship with Dr. Ryan... maybe Gibbs was beginning to take an interest in life outside of work.

Tony heads into the bedroom he is sharing with Parker to check on him and see if he can get him to talk. "Hey, Parker, how's it going?"

"Fine."

"Whatcha doin'?" Tony sits down on his bed, facing Parker who is lying on the other bed.

"Checkin' out the new Apps Agent McGee downloaded for me."

"I'm guessing that wouldn't be the Sports Illustrated Swim Suit App, would it? No, McGee is more into pure logic and knowledge."

"They're science Apps for my school project in physics. You wanna see?"

Tony leans over to glance at the screen that Parker had held out to him. He sees nothing but calculations and numbers and makes a comical face of disgust. "Aahh, no thanks... science isn't really my thing. More of a sports jock in school."

"Gibbs too. He pretends, but I know he's not interested in half the stuff I show him." Parker looks over to Tony with a grin. "He's more into the physical stuff too."

"Really? Yea, I gotta agree with you there. Gibbs isn't really a technology guy... he barely manages to pull up his emails."

"Don't get me wrong... Gibbs is one of the smartest people I know... well, besides my mom. He's just... like he said, 'not so much in his head'. I didn't know what he meant at first, but now I get it. He's a doer."

"That he is... but it's not a bad thing. So what kind of things does Gibbs do when he's with you... and your mom?"

Parker lays his I-Pad down and stares over at Tony. His hesitation is just long enough Tony thinks he's worried about saying anything, but then he smiles and answers, "He's just there with us... you know, nothing special. He lets me help him when he works on things around the house, plays chess with me... spends a lot of time with mom. It's like... normal stuff, I guess."

Tony realizes he shouldn't have expected anything less from the man who put a lot more stock in the people around him than in material things. "Kind of like having a dad around, huh?"

"I don't know... never had my dad around... for obvious reasons." Parker picks up the I-Pad and focuses his attention on it; clearly not wanting to talk about his real father. The topic was still very touchy for him since his dad had tried to kill them. Tony decides to let it go and is just about to get up and head out when Parker sighs softly and adds, "But if I were to have a dad... I'd want it to be Gibbs."

Tony just smiles and leans over to pat Parker's shoulder as he stands up to go. "I'm with you there. You couldn't ask for a better dad than Gibbs."

Tony goes out to check the monitors once again, feeling melancholy after his talk with Parker. His own family growing up, had been anything but happy for him after his mother's death. He had been angry much of his young life at having been basically ignored and abandoned by his own father. It wasn't until he came to work for Gibbs that he realized what a true father and son relationship could be. Gibbs was tough on him, but in a fatherly way and Tony never doubted for a minute that Gibbs loved him like a son. He treated his whole team like his family and Tony wonders if that will change now that he's found a new family of his own.


	17. Chapter 17

CHAPTER 17

With the information put out to SECNAV, all they can do is sit back and wait. Vance reluctantly authorized them to secretly monitor the Secretary's cell phone, knowing if he was going to contact Diering, it would be soon. For security reasons, McGee arranged the wiretap and set it up so that any time the cell phone was activated, Vance's phone would ring as well. Vance could then listen in to the conversations without the other parties hearing him.

McGee was uncomfortable snooping around behind the Secretary of the Navy's back, but he knew it was for a good reason; so he kept at it. It wasn't until the end of the third day that he came across a suspicious purchase which didn't seem to make sense. When he dug further he found out that Diering had transferred money from his corporate account into that of a straw corporation... the same one used to purchase the jet used by Colson. The strange part was this company listed a purchase from another company for $100,000 in air quality filters.

The company that sold the air filters was also a straw company set up by Harper Diering. When McGee looked into these records, he saw that the company quickly made a payment out in that exact amount, $100,000 for what appeared to be a lease of office space. Since Diering owned a huge office complex for his business, McGee thought this was strange and dug deeper. He was just looking up the public records of the property owner for the site listed as the office address when Gibbs came back in with a fresh cup of coffee.

"McGee... tell me that look on your face means you've finally found something!" Gibbs stops in front of the young agent's desk, glaring his frustration at how long this case was dragging on.

"Uh... yes... yeah... boss, I think I found it!" He excitedly points to his computer screen and Gibbs moves around to his side to see what he is pointing at.

"Found what, Tim?"

"The connection... you told me to keep digging... and I found it. This piece of property is registered in the name of a corporation called Tungland Incorporated. That corporation has two officers, boss... Martin Knowles and his wife, Ann."

"Okay... so how does them owning property make a connection to Diering or his companies?"

"This piece of property... according to the county recorder's office is vacant land, zoned for wildlife habitation."

"So... how does this help us?!" Gibbs frustration is at the boiling point and McGee's fingers fly over the keyboard to bring up the previous information.

"Diering's company bought one hundred thousand dollars worth of air filters from company B, which is also owned by Diering. On the same day, company B then paid what appears to be the lease on their office space... one hundred thousand dollars to company C."

"Please tell me, company C is this one owned by Knowles and his wife. Because that would mean..."

"Diering laundered money through his companies and into one owned by SECNAV for rent payment on office space that doesn't exist."

"Good work, Tim... transfer that data to a drive and meet me in Vance's office right away." Gibbs hurries off towards the stairs, leaving his agent scrambling to find a thumb drive and get the information loaded so he can present it to Vance.

A few minutes later, Vance is staring at the satellite photo of the property owned by SECNAV. It was clearly a wilderness habitat along the Rappahannock River; well inside the Chesapeake Bay nature preserve area... and there were no structures on it. He studies the image for a moment then sighs heavily as the reality of the decisions he must now make becomes clear. He turns back to Gibbs and McGee.

"Good work, McGee. I want you to quietly follow that money... wherever it leads."

"Yes, Sir, Director... and should I keep searching Diering's company accounts as well? In case there are more... ah, lease payments?"

Vance nods reluctantly and wonders what can of worms his agents are opening this time. Diering's payoffs as a military contractor could be far reaching and they may be finding things they don't want to know about. "Do it... but limit your findings to only those transactions between Diering and SECNAV, understood?"

McGee nods and hurries from the room to continue his assignment; glad he can concentrate on his spreadsheets and numbers instead of having to make the tough decisions that lie ahead of Director Vance and Gibbs. When they are alone, Vance goes to stand looking out his window for a moment before Gibbs speaks.

"Anything on the cell link?"

"Not yet... but it's only been two days."

"What the hell is taking so long?!" Gibbs vents his frustrations on his boss.

Vance turns to look at him, about to reprimand him for the outburst when he realizes the reason behind it. "You had any contact with the safe house?"

"No... can't risk a chance that Diering is listening in to our calls." He glares at his boss for a moment, then begins pacing. "Told them to restrict contact unless absolutely necessary."

Vance met Gibbs shortly after he began in NCIS and never really got to know him well, but in the time he's been serving as Director, this was the first time he'd seen Gibbs have something more important to him than the job. Vance watches Gibbs pace, knowing what he would be feeling if his wife and kids were in that safe house and he couldn't contact them. He reaches into his desk drawer, pulling out an untraceable burn phone that he kept for emergencies.

"Hey..." Gibbs looks up as Vance tosses the phone to him. "CIA burn phone I keep around in case of... well, for times like this. Call them. I'll give you a few minutes."

With that, Vance walks out, closing his door and leaving Gibbs alone with a surprised look on his face. He looks down at the phone in his hand, then quickly dials the number to the safe house's satellite phone.

"Yea, its Gibbs. How are things going, Ziva?"

He listens to her accurate and concise report and sighs; relieved that they have had nothing suspicious happen. When she is done there is a moment's hesitation before Ziva asks if he would like to speak to Dr. Ryan.

A moment later, Sam is on the line, sounding tense. "Jethro... what is it?"

"Nothin, Doc... just checking in. How are you and Parker doing?"

"We're okay. Parker keeps asking when we can go home." There is a moment's silence before she asks, "How are you?"

"Tired of waiting for this bastard to make his next move." He doesn't tell her about the second bombing or Diering's threats to him. There was no need to worry her more than she already was.

Sam can hear the hesitation in his voice and fears the worst. "What aren't you telling me?"

"Nothing... just needed to hear your voice."

She can hear the fatigue and frustration in his voice, but his tired sigh makes her worry even more. With a quick look around the room to ensure Parker isn't around, she lowers her voice. "You be careful, okay? I really need you safe."

"Doin' my best, Sam. Tell Parker we'll work on his school project when you get back. Love you."

"I will. Love you too..." She can tell by his reluctance to talk that something has happened and it isn't good. She is worried and feeling helpless up here at this cabin in the middle of nowhere.

Gibbs snaps the phone shut then stares at it for a long moment. There was so much he wanted to say, but not on the phone. He has to be satisfied with knowing they are safe while he waits for Diering to make his next move.

* * *

Gibbs is sitting in his car outside Sam's Georgetown brownstone; hoping Diering will come back to try a second abduction. He sits in the dark, holding his coffee as his eyes scan the quiet street, but nothing moves. He's been here about three hours when his cell phone rings and looking at the caller ID, he sees Vance's name, quickly flips it open.

"Gibbs."

"Just got the call. Martin called Diering... gave up the fake safe house location."

"Son-of-a-bitch fell for it. We got him, Leon." Gibbs sits up straighter, starting the car so he can head in to set the trap.

"He did... but there's something you need to know. Diering isn't the only one fixated on Dr. Ryan... SECNAV wants her out of the way... in a permanent way."

"Why? He was at her office about a month after her kidnapping, acting all concerned."

"Didn't go into detail, just said she knows too much..."

"Christ, Leon, she's got dirt on a lot of people. It must be something bad for SECNAV to take her out to keep it secret."

"I don't know... but we need to find out."

"We gotta take out SECNAV at the same time we do Diering..."

"I'm on it... Diering is yours... I'll handle Martin Knowles."

"You do that... or I will. This ends now!" He snaps the phone shut, cutting off any warning his boss was about to give him. They had previously discussed the plan and Gibbs knew Vance expected him to try to bring him in alive. Gibbs had given a vague reply, promising to try... but who knew what Diering would do when he got to the fake safe house?

When Gibbs pulls up to the safe house, he slows to scan the area, not seeing anything out of the ordinary in the small house, located at the end of a tree lined cul-de-sac. The houses in this neighborhood were on acre lots and had large yards, ensuring no close neighbors and plenty of good visibility. He pulls in the driveway and leaves the car behind the house where Diering could see it, but not tamper with it without going past the house. He wanted him to think someone was there.

Inside, Gibbs quickly clears all the rooms, making sure no one has beat him to this location. When he is satisfied everything is clear, he sets himself up in a position to cover both the front and side doors while remaining out of sight to anyone looking in. It was just after one in the morning and no lights were on because he wanted Diering to believe they were all sleeping.

* * *

The sun is just casting a grayish glow behind the trees at the entrance to the cul-de-sac when the brown van slows to make the turn onto the street. Gibbs hears the engine before he actually sees the vehicle and tenses; instinctively knowing it was Diering. He quickly gives his arms and legs a stretch to chase away any lingering stiffness from his long night of waiting and prepares himself for action.

Harper Diering is nothing, if not cautious. After all, he was a man of superior intelligence that so far had left the Navy and NCIS looking like a bunch of bungling idiots. But Gibbs... he was different. He'd foiled his bomb at the Navy Yard; which could have just been luck. But Harper didn't believe in luck... unless it was the bad kind... and he'd had a lifetime of that. He was making his own luck now and hopefully in the next few minutes he'd have his revenge on Dr. Ryan, Agent Gibbs and the Navy.

He glances at his watch, wanting to ensure his plan was coordinated and well executed. He parks his van one house south and exactly at 0600 hours, he steps out of his van and quietly closes the door. He walks casually towards the end house with a small canvas bag in his hand. Martin told him this was the NCIS safe house where Dr. Ryan and her son were hiding. He hesitates when he sees the car in the rear driveway, then relaxes as he realizes the agents guarding them were sure to have a vehicle handy.

He gives one last glance around at the dark, motionless houses; glad to see there were no early risers in this neighborhood. He moves up the driveway to the side entrance and quickly inserts an electronic lock pick. He pulls the trigger several times on the small pistol like device and hears a soft click as the lock is disengaged. Shoving the device back into his bag, Diering slowly turns the handle and then stops to listen. Hearing nothing, he eases the door open very slowly so as not to make a noise. Again he stops to listen, but hears nothing so he steps inside and closes the door.

His first glimpse of the interior is the kitchen and he quickly scans the area, noting a half pot of coffee in the coffee machine. He then moves slowly towards the stairs to the bedrooms upstairs and listens carefully for any noise from up there. Hearing none, he pulls out the tools he brought with him in the bag. With the deftness of practice and knowledge, he quickly assembles the bomb that will level this house and all its occupants very soon. He is just inserting the wires from the cell phone trigger as something keeps nagging at his brain. He stops, needing full concentration to do this right. What was it? Something kept nagging at him... and he leaves the unfinished bomb to glance once more around the kitchen.

Then it hits him... the coffee pot. The half full pot of coffee had condensation on the inside. He walks closer to examine it, then reaches out to place his fingers on the glass pot. It was still hot, but the pot was turned off. That meant someone was awake in the house... someone who might know he was there. A voice behind him startles him and Diering spins around to see Agent Gibbs standing next to his unfinished bomb.

"Go ahead... should still be fresh." Gibbs' words were spoken softly, but there was no invitation in his tone. His cold blue eyes are glued to Diering's eyes, waiting for that barely perceptible twitch that will telegraph his next move.

Diering's eyes dart from Gibbs' to the device he left laying on the table near the stairs. Gibbs sees his eyes dart down and back up to his, knowing what is going through his mind. He holds up his left hand, showing Diering the cell phone he removed from the bomb; rendering it useless.

"Lookin' for this?" He drops the phone into the pocket of his Carhart jacket so he can have his hands free.

Diering's next thought is telegraphed when he quickly glances down at his opponents waist, but is unable to see if Gibbs is armed. He can't see Gibbs' right hand, which is in the other pocket of his jacket, but Diering has no doubt there is something lethal concealed in it. He realizes his plan is falling apart as he scans his brain for an alternative that will work on this tough agent.

"You must be proud of yourself, Agent Gibbs. Thinking you disabled that device so easily."

"Nothin' to it really... since you never finished arming it, Diering. Pretty careless, if you ask me."

"Not careless... when it wasn't needed anyway. You should know I never do anything half way. That was just a back up... the other bomb is already set. All I have to do is hit speed dial and... boom! Dr. Ryan, her son and you all cease to exist."

Diering had slowly reached for his cell phone as he spoke and now holds it up with his thumb poised over the keypad as he bluffs Gibbs with this threat. Gibbs knows he is bluffing and even if there was another bomb it would have to be in the van... which was unlikely since Diering needed an escape route and he wouldn't blow up his only transportation out of there. His eyes never waiver from Diering's as he delivers a bomb shell of his own.

"Not likely... since Dr. Ryan and her son aren't here. If you did have a device set... you'd only be blowing up you and me and this empty house."

He sees a slight twitch at the corner of Diering's left eye and knows this information has rattled this devious mastermind who up until now has not made a mistake. Gibbs knows this is the moment to unravel the tight control Diering has over his warped mind and keeps antagonizing him.

"What? That a surprise to you? I bet it is... considering Martin Knowles leaked this location to you." Another twitch and a narrowing of his eyes as he studies Gibbs hard to see if he's lying. "You don't really think we'd give him the real location... after we found all the money you paid him? Which by the way... was a bit excessive, don't you think?"

Diering's hands are now clenched into fists so tight he is almost crushing the cell phone in his hand. He raises the cell, glancing down as if a sudden urge to call the Secretary of the Navy just entered his head. Gibbs keeps up the pressure.

"Don't bother calling... Knowles isn't available right now... or for the next thirty years to life. And your IRA friend, Dr. McConoughy, he's gonna be seeing a lot more of the inside of a prison too... British, of course."

Gibbs has given him just enough tidbits to make Diering believe he has his entire plan figured out. How could they have discovered so much? He'd been so careful in his planning... taken so many precautions to ensure no one could stop him... but now... this cocky, bastard with his two dollar hair cut dared to stand here laughing at him!?

"How dare you! Presume to tell me what to do! I am the one your Navy answers to... I'm the one they fear! You're nothing!"

"You may be right... but I'm the man whose gonna put an end to you, Diering... I'm the man whose gonna take down your network... stop all your destruction and in the end... and then, I'm gonna go home to Samantha Ryan."

It is too much and Diering finally snaps. He is not armed with anything but his cell phone, but he lunges at Gibbs with pure hatred in his eyes. Diering's logical brain has ceased to function or he wouldn't have been so intent on wiping the smug grin off the face of a marine trained in hand to hand combat. Gibbs anticipates his move and pulls his right hand out, revealing the wicked looking black knife blade a moment before he lunges towards Diering and buries it deeply in his chest. The force of Diering's body falling into him knocks Gibbs back a step, but he holds his ground.

The blade enters just below his ribs, just left of his sternum... and when Gibbs sees Diering's eyes widen in surprise and pain, he grabs him and jerks the knife upwards, finding Diering's heart with deadly accuracy. Diering clutches at Gibbs' jacket, trying to comprehend what just happened as his heart struggles for its few last beats. Gibbs keeps his eyes on those of the man dying in front of him, watching the life drain from his eyes. Diering makes one last desperate attempt to speak, but Gibbs just twists his hand again and the only sound that comes from Diering is a rasping gurgle as his last breath escapes his body.

Gibbs feels his body going limp and slowly lets it slide down to the floor, extracting his knife as it goes. He stands still, staring down at the lifeless body of the man who has terrorized the Navy and those he loves for the last year. Harper Diering will never hurt anyone ever again. After a moment, he sighs in relief, finally allowing himself to believe it's over. He then steps over the lifeless body and goes to the sink to carefully wash the blood off his knife and hand. He dries his knife off and snaps it shut before returning it to his pocket and then opening the cupboard to grab a fresh cup and pour himself a cup of coffee.

He knows the call to Vance will have to be made soon, but not yet. Gibbs stands there staring at the dead man on the floor and going back over every detail of this case. Sipping is coffee, trying to connect all the dots... but something was missing. It was nagging at his gut... something Diering said, 'you should know I never do anything half way...'

Gibbs suddenly sets his cup down and begins rifling through Diering's pockets for his keys. Then he sprints outside to the brown van; instinctively knowing the answer was in there. It is light enough now for him to see fairly well as he cautiously approaches the van, checking underneath for bombs or booby traps. Seeing none, he approaches and looks into all of the windows before he dares touch the doors.

Again seeing no trip wires or traps, he unlocks the driver's door, betting Diering wouldn't rig this door in case he needed to make a fast escape. When nothing happens, Gibbs slides into the driver's seat and takes a moment to just look around. It looked as if Diering had been living in the van from the food wrappers and trash lying around. There was also a mattress in the back, a blanket and what obviously doubled as his work shop. Gibbs wonders how a multi-millionaire could have fallen so far as to be living in this van, rigging bombs and plotting against the US government.

It was something he would need to discuss with Ducky some day, but right now he needed to get inside Diering's mind and to do that, he needed to examine everything in the van. Starting in the front, he combs carefully through all the trash, wadded up papers and notebooks until one entry in his rambling daily diary catches his eye. '_**Gave Mercedes to sister Gwen – with instructions for delivery.'**_ They had already interviewed his sister Gwen Morrison and she hadn't mentioned anything about being given a Mercedes.

Gibbs snaps out his phone and hits speed dial and when his junior agent answers, he doesn't waste time. "McGee... Gwen Morrison. Did she mention Diering giving her a car?"

"Ah, no... no, don't believe so, boss."

"You don't believe so?! McGee, find out, NOW!"

"Right, on it boss!" he jumps to his feet, even though his boss is not in the office personally yelling at him. He hurries to Tony's desk and opens the folder with the interview of Diering's sister. Scanning the pages quickly, he finds the answer. "No, she definitely did not say anything about a car."

"Get over to her house... locate a Mercedes Diering gave her and find out what instructions he gave her regarding it."

"On my way." McGee is hurrying towards the elevators as he speaks to his boss.

"And McGee... whatever you do... DO NOT TOUCH THAT CAR! Get the bomb squad out there."

Gibbs ends the call and immediately hits speed dial again. This time Vance answers and Gibbs quickly gives him a run down on Diering and his latest discovery.

"Leon, Diering's dead... but we got another possible problem. I'm in Diering's van... looks like he's been living in it. Found his diary and he mentions giving his Mercedes to his sister with instructions for her to deliver it."

"To who?"

"Don't know, but knowing Diering... it's probably rigged with another bomb. I've got McGee on the way to Gwen Morrison's house to secure the car and talk to her about the instructions."

"I'll get the bomb squad headed that way and Ducky and another team your way to process the scene. I've got to go brief the Joint Chiefs of Staff on why we just arrested the Secretary of the Navy. Keep looking and let me know if you find anything else." Vance sighs tiredly and ends the call; staring at the phone as he realizes this isn't over yet.


	18. Chapter 18

CHAPTER 18

Gibbs waits impatiently for the NCIS team to arrive to process this scene and while he waits he has time to finish scanning quickly through the van's contents for any other clues. He already has a game plan in action by the time he sees the NCIS van pulling down the narrow lane. He directs the truck to park opposite the brown van and then sighs when he sees that the three agents sent to him are by no means his A-team. Dorneget, Rogers and Mischensky eagerly pile out of the truck, stumbling over themselves in their haste.

As the three line up in front of him, not sure what they should be doing, Gibbs' first thought is to send them all packing back to the Navy Yard with instructions to send him real agents. Then he takes a deep breath, knowing these three probationary agents will never obtain the skills needed to become good agents if he did that. With a slow, calming sigh, he looks from one to the next; realizing Dorneget is the most senior agent there. As worrisome as that is, Gibbs turns to him and places the responsibility of this scene on his shoulders.

"Dorneget, you're senior field agent on this scene. What are you gonna do?"

"Me? Ah, yeah... well, I'm gonna..." He quickly looks to his two co-workers who are looking back at him with equal confusion. "I'm gonna... secure the crime scene. Process the crime scene and transport evidence back to the lab."

"Okay... you know what and where your crime scene is?" Gibbs isn't one to give his agents the answers, but his obvious nervousness was not going to improve with his usual tough approach.

"Oh... yeah... I assumed you would be telling me that information..."

"Never assume, Dorneget... unless you want me to head slap you into next week." He hesitates to give the nervous man a hard glare, then turns to look back at the safe house behind him. When none of the three make any move to follow him, he stops, turns back and growls, "Unless you three have photographic memories... I suggest you grab your note pads and start taking notes, cause I'm only gonna say this once!"

They all scramble to pull out the small note pads they are required to carry at all times. Gibbs just shakes his head and starts off towards the house, wondering how badly this crime scene is going to be screwed up by the three stooges here. He stops in the driveway, giving them a quick rundown on what they will find inside. He then points to the brown van and does the same. Then he waits to see if there are any questions, but when the three agents remain silent, he rolls his eyes and prompts them.

"Any questions?" He watches the panic in their eyes as they once again exchange glances. Then Dorneget raises his hand like a kid in school and Gibbs feels the urge to head slap him again.

"Uuhh, Agent Gibbs? Should we be going into the house or the van before the bomb squad does their thing?"

"Well, I don't know Dorneget... what do you think?!" Gibbs is losing his patience with them and glares at the man to let him know he should already know the answer to that question.

"No... definitely no. I assume... aah, no, I will call in to make sure the bomb squad is en route, boss." He feels a bit braver and risks using the common address that Gibbs' team uses with him. When he doesn't see a new glare from their leader, he nods and adds, "In the meantime, we'll shoot and sketch the exterior."

"Ah... sir?" Agent Katherine Mischensky timidly voices what is probably her first independent thought since arriving. Gibbs glares at her for using the term, 'sir', but lets it go. "Ah, shouldn't Dr. Mallard also be notified... since there's a dead body in the house?"

Gibbs fights back his sarcastic comment and is saved from having to remind her what a stupid question that is by another vehicle pulling into the cul-de-sac. It is obviously the NCIS Mortuary truck and the three young agents watch it pull up, then look back to Gibbs, who just shakes his head and walks over to meet Ducky and Palmer.

While he fills Ducky in on the incident and the dangers of explosives that need to be cleared, Mr. Palmer gets busy removing their gurney and equipment, but stays within listening range. He's been around long enough to have learned you don't ask questions... you observe and pay attention so you know what is expected of you. Gibbs and Ducky have their attention focused on the three young agents with some worry.

Dorneget, feeling confident after having answered Gibbs' questions correctly is now taking charge of the two more junior agents. He is determined to be perfect in his first assignment as a senior field agent and barks out orders to the other two on what to photograph, where to put up the crime scene tape and who is to begin diagramming the scene. Gibbs can't help but notice his style is somewhat similar to DiNozzo's and shakes his head; of all the people's style to emulate... maybe Tony's comedic cockiness wasn't the best.

"Duck... I hate to ask... but I got McGee out on a secondary scene alone with a possible car bomb..."

"No need to say more, Jethro. Go. I'll keep a close eye on the probies here... and believe me, I have no problem head slapping them if the need arises."

They exchange a smile of amusement and Gibbs gives him a pat on the back before returning to where Dorneget is removing the kits from the back of the truck. He steps up behind him, startling him as he speaks, "Dorneget."

"Gees, Agent Gibbs... didn't see you there." He spins around to face his boss, almost knocking over the cases on the ground by his feet.

"I'm leaving you in charge of processing this scene... but make no mistake, Dr. Mallard is in charge. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir... boss."

"Good. He tells you to do something you do it... no questions. I want you... and I mean you Dorneget, to stay with that van. Once it's safe... transport it back to the evidence garage and process it. I don't want to see your face until every scrap and fiber in that van has been processed and evaluated ASAP." Dorneget's head bobs up and down like a bobble-head dog in the window of a car as he quickly nods his understanding, but Gibbs has already turned to leave.

* * *

Upon his arrival at the sister's home, Gibbs felt relief at finding everything under control. He suddenly had a whole new appreciation for his team and how effortless they made everything seem. It hadn't always been that way, but now that he'd molded Tony, Tim and Ziva into a well oiled machine, he truly appreciated how well trained they were.

McGee gave him a quick update on his scene and the vehicle which had been located inside the garage. The sister was cooperating with the investigation and didn't seem to be aware of anything more devious than her brother's simple request to 'deliver this vehicle to NCIS headquarters in the event of his death.'

Gibbs and McGee know the seriousness of that simple request after the bomb squad found the vehicle loaded with hidden explosives; all wired to a complicated activation system that they didn't fully understand yet. McGee escorted the vehicle back to NCIS after the explosives had been removed and taken away by the bomb techs. There he would concentrate on the switching mechanism in an attempt to determine how Diering rigged the vehicle to explode only after it had been delivered to the Navy Yard.

Gibbs stayed behind to explain the reality of the situation to Diering's sister, notifying her of his death and the circumstances behind his recent actions. To his surprise, the sister was not overly upset and almost seemed relieved to hear of his death. She finally admitted that ever since his son died, Harper had become increasingly obsessed with his death to the point that she was afraid of her brother and what he seemed capable of doing. Even though Harper had never confided any of his plans to her, she always thought he was capable of great evil.

With that task done, Gibbs returns to the office to check in with Director Vance and get an update on what was going on with his end of the operation. Vance wasted no time in explaining that the joint Chiefs of Staff had been made aware of the problem with the Secretary of the Navy and his involvement in the kidnapping of Dr. Ryan and possibly his knowledge of the attacks on the US Navy by Diering. After a quick briefing to the President the nod was given to allow NCIS to remove Martin Knowles from his position as quietly as possible.

* * *

She watches Parker as he stands on the bank of the pond, trying to skip stones into the water with his tongue peeking out the side of his mouth in concentration. Parker has taken quite a liking to Tony in these past two days; like a big brother as Tony instructs him on skipping stones. He still asks when Gibbs can join them though, and Sam has often wonders that herself, missing him intensely. Especially at night, when she is lying in this strange bed alone and unable to sleep.

Her attention is drawn back to the present when the man of her thoughts quietly approaching the small group. She is about to approach him when he holds up a hand, motioning her to remain still, then puts his finger to his lips for quiet. He positions himself behind and to the left of Tony and her son as he picks up a stone and waits.

Sam turns her attention back to Parker as he calls out to her. "Mom… watch. I'm gonna make it skip ten times."

"Wow, that's a lot. Make sure you hold it like Tony showed you."

He tosses the stone and they both see a huge splash as it dives straight into the smooth surface of the water. Then, as if by magic, the water splashes quickly eight more times as a stone skims across the surface. Parker's mouth drops open in awe as both he and Tony spin to their right to face her; amazed at the perfectly skipping stone. She merely grins and points to her left where Gibbs is standing unseen on their blind side.

"Hey, its Gibbs! Hi, Gibbs!" Parker's face lights up in a huge smile as he races over and skids to a stop as he collides with Gibbs, making him brace against the impact.

Gibbs hesitates only a moment, unwilling to take his eyes off Sam, then wraps his arms around the boy and bends down to kiss his head. Gibbs can't help but smile at the boy's enthusiastic greeting. "Hey, buddy. Think you've grown a couple inches."

"I'm glad you're here..." Parker steps back, beaming at Gibbs' comment and standing as tall as he can. He is still at that awkward stage in between a child and a teen-ager and is embarrassed by his enthusiastic greeting. "Will you show me how you skipped that stone?"

He blushes and fidgets until Gibbs pulls him back into his side and drops another kiss on his tousled hair. "Sure thing, but let me have a minute with your mom first."

Ziva had seen Gibbs' arrival and came out to join the group by the pond. She moves over to stand beside Tony, nudging him in the ribs. They exchange a look and at Ziva's raised brow, Tony quietly comments, "I know... it's like watching one of those National Geographic specials where the fierce lion of the Serengeti shows a gentler side with its pride."

"I have never doubted that Gibbs had this softer side... but it is fascinating to see, yes?"

They watch the interaction as Gibbs greets Parker. Gibbs is still Gibbs, but different, gentle, loving and... well, normal and they stare in amazement. Sam also watches Gibbs with her son, proud of the bond between them. He is speaking softly to Parker, but his eyes watch her with intense interest. Parker reluctantly steps back and returns to Tony and Ziva to continue practicing his stone tosses.

Gibbs walks over to Sam with a playful smirk curling the side of his mouth. "You toss stones pretty good."

"Gotta impress you somehow."

"You do that every day."

"Is that so..." Gibbs reaches out with his hand and pulls her into the circle of his arms as his mouth drops swiftly to hers. Not caring about their audience, his mouth impatiently demands a response from her soft lips. Her breath catches in her throat as he crushes her hard against his chest until she gives him the sweetness he craves with a soft sigh of surrender. Her hands press flat against his chest, then glide slowly up around his neck to eagerly return his caress. After a moment he reluctantly pulls back, his voice deep and husky. "...missed you."

"I missed you too." She glances over his shoulder to see Tony, Ziva and Parker watching them before drawing him close as she brings her lips back to his in a kiss the tells him exactly how much. Gibbs groans happily as they spend several minutes lost in their own world until they are interrupted by Parker, in his usual candid fashion.

"Hello?! We're still here..."

They reluctantly end the embrace and turn their attention to the boy with stern glares. He just laughs, knowing they aren't angry with him and after a moment, Sam leans in to whisper, "Maybe we should save this for later."

"Not too much later..." He curves his arm around her waist and they walk over to the others, still smiling happily.

Tony and Ziva remain silent, watching as Gibbs takes a few minutes to show Parker how to hold a flat stone and skip it across the water. When the boy has the hang of it, he leaves him to practice and turns his attention to his agents.

"Everything go all right up here?"

"Yeah, boss. Fine... so what happened with Diering in town?" Tony is anxious for news since he's been bored out of his mind up here at the cabin.

"It's over. Diering won't be a problem anymore." He jerks his head to move them further away from Parker before he continues, "Dead... and his big finale unraveled so we shouldn't have any more surprises."

"What finale was that... or do I want to know?" Sam is still worried for Parker's safety and wonders what evil plot Diering had in mind for him.

"Nothin to worry about. He gave a car to his sister. Left her instructions to deliver it to me at NCIS in the event of his death. Never told her why and she had the car parked at her house never suspecting it was loaded with explosives."

"That was incredibly risky... was it not? She could have accidentally triggered the bomb at any time." Ziva's knowledge of car bombs was never in question given her background.

"Yeah, thought so too. She claims he told her to leave the car alone and only deliver it if he died. Told her we'd only be looking for it if he died. McGee is going over the triggering device now trying to figure out how Diering rigged it so there wouldn't be an accidental trigger."

There is a moment's silence and then Tony remembers the plan to lure Diering out to the decoy house. "The decoy house worked?"

"Yeah and SECNAV leaked the info just like we thought he would. Diering showed at the house while Vance handled notifying the Joint Chiefs about Knowles and taking him off at the same time." They all notice he skipped over the part where he killed Diering, but they have no doubt that is how it went down.

"So we're done then? We can head home?" Tony was anxious to get back to the luxuries of living in town; food deliveries, two thousand cable channels and every luxury he desired at his fingertips. This cabin stuff was definitely not for him.

"That's why I'm here, DiNozzo... to relieve you and Ziva. Go on, head back to town." He gives Sam a glance, wondering if she is just as eager to return to town. He hopes not since he was hoping to spend a night here alone with her and Parker.

Tony is already turning to hurry back to the cabin when he notices Ziva's hesitation. She looks from Gibbs to Dr. Ryan and asks, "And you... will be following soon, Gibbs?"

Gibbs hesitates to answer, shrugging to give a vague reply, but Sam smiles and answers for him, "I'm not in any hurry to get back... and this fresh air is good for Parker." Gibbs looks to her and sees her understanding of his intention.

"Ah, no... we'll be coming back tomorrow." Ziva tries to conceal her smile and nods her head in understanding. "But I want you two to check in at the office... I left Dorneget in the evidence garage going through Diering's van with strict orders not to show his face until every inch of it had been processed."

"Diering's van...?" Tony has now returned to join the conversation.

"He was living in it... using it as his bomb making lab... it's knee deep in crap. Should take Dorneget at least two days to get through it all. Just check on him and make sure he's smart enough to eat something and take a piss while he's processing."

"Right, boss. Last thing we need is to have Dornie dropping dead in the middle of processing our evidence."

Tony and Ziva snicker at the image of the timid agent actually taking Gibbs' orders so seriously that he wouldn't eat or take a break until he was done. They head back to the cabin to gather their gear and head back to DC.

Gibbs and Sam watch them walk away, then turn their attention back to where Parker is practicing his new skills. Gibbs gives her a quick peck on the cheek and walks over to help the boy with his technique; happy to be spending some time with them and knowing they are no longer in danger.


	19. Chapter 19

CHAPTER 19

With the setting sun, Gibbs and Sam walk hand in hand back to the cabin with Parker following behind as he continues to practice skipping stones across the long grass of the meadow. Sam is a bit nervous about having him behind them since his aim was still a bit lacking in control. She points out into the distance and her son rolls his eyes and makes sure his next stone doesn't fly past them quite so close.

As they step up on the porch, Sam disengages herself from Gibbs and gently pushes him towards the chairs situated along the porch. "Why don't you guys hang out while I get dinner started?"

Gibbs understands and takes the farthest chair, then waits for Parker to plop down in the one next to him. Sam knew her son needed to spend some 'guy time' with Gibbs; especially after having shared a room with Tony for the past two days. They sit in silence for a while just enjoying the dusk and Gibbs slowly tips his chair back until he is leaning against the wall on the back two legs. A moment later, Parker mimics his position and his chair wobbles a bit at the unfamiliar position. Gibbs' hand comes out to steady his chair until he is settled, then releases it without a word as he waits for the boy to say what's on his mind.

"Gibbs..." Parker hesitates, obviously not sure how to bring up this topic. "What... what's it like?"

Unsure what he is referring to, Gibbs gives the boy his full attention. What was what like? His job, killing the man who had tried to hurt them? Being a federal agent? He waits, but when Parker doesn't continue, he gently prompts him, "What's what like?"

"Sex... you know... like with my mom." Parker has turned a brilliant shade of red as the blush seems to encompass his entire head and neck. Of all the possibilities; this was not what Gibbs expected him to ask... especially out of the blue.

He hesitates a long time, shocked and trying to regain his composure so he can even answer that question. Or should he just shut down this line of questioning right now? He knows the boy doesn't have anyone to talk to about growing up, so he takes a deep breath and tries to calmly divert his thoughts.

"Parker, not gonna talk about that... what's between your mom and me... is private."

"Oh... OH! Gees, no! I didn't mean... you know, like WITH my mom! ugh! I meant..." He nervously fidgets in his seat, almost upsetting his chair from its perch. Gibbs again reaches over to steady the chair and when Parker sits still, his hand lands on the bony shoulder with a gentle squeeze.

"What? You mean sex in general?" He tries to hide his smile, not expecting to have the 'birds and the bees' talk with him right now.

"Well... I know all about sex." He chances a quick glance up at the older man and Gibbs tries to hide his amusement, but a smirk quivers at the corner of his mouth.

"You do, huh?"

"Yeah, I mean the internet is... you know... it's all out there." He again chances a quick glance up to Gibbs before looking back at the chair frame between his legs. He fidgets for a moment, digging his thumbnail into the weathered wood before he gets to his real question. "Tony said... he said you and my mom... it was different... like a solar eclipse."

"A solar eclipse?" Gibbs tries to keep his voice calm, although finding out that Parker was talking to Tony about sex... in particular his sex life, was a bit disturbing. "You and Tony were talking about sex?"

"Kinda... he said what you and mom had was... like an eclipse... you know a rare occurrence that you know you shouldn't stare at, but can't look away?"

A sudden cough has Gibbs leaning forward suddenly to bring his chair back to all four legs as he tries to disguise his laughter. When he has himself under control, Gibbs rests his elbows on his knees and studies his hands for a moment as he decides how to answer that.

"I think... what you're asking about is love Parker... not sex." He glances over at the boy and sees some confusion on his face. Obviously the boy's extensive knowledge of sex didn't include the emotional side.

Parker once again mimics Gibbs' posture and leans his chair forward to rest his elbows on his knees. His serious expression shows he is giving the older man's statement some serious thought.

"Love and sex are two different things... although they normally go together." He rubs his hands together and hesitates before he answers his original question honestly. "And yeah... what I have with your mom is pretty special. Don't know if it's as rare as an eclipse, but finding the right person isn't always easy."

Parker digests this for a few moments and seems to accept it because he smiles and turns to look at Gibbs. "So the love is good?" Gibbs merely nods in agreement. "And the sex is good?"

"Not goin' there, Parker." Gibbs gives him a stern glare and the boy just grins, knowing he's found a topic that the normally unflappable man is uncomfortable with.

"I like your house... it has a basement and a yard... like a normal home." He fidgets with his hands, wondering if his hint was out of line.

"You want to live at my house? You sure about that? It's pretty far away from your friends."

"I'll still see them at school... besides, mom is happier when she's there too."

"Hhmm, she is? Well, that's something to consider." He grins over to the boy and studies him for a moment. Parker seems more relaxed, having gotten that off his chest so Gibbs decides to let the serious talk go for now. He leans back in his chair, tilting back on two legs once again. "What else did you and DiNozzo talk about?"

Parker laughs at the stern glare Gibbs gives him, knowing he is teasing him about the whole sex talk thing. Parker shoves his chair back with more expertise this time and shakes his head as he decides how much to tell him. "Not much... but he did say I couldn't ask for a better dad..."

"Hhmm..." Gibbs keeps his expression neutral as he realizes Parker just called him 'dad'.

"... and he said he wished you were his dad, too." Parker knew Gibbs was close with his team since he always called them his 'kids'.

Gibbs just nods his head slightly and continues to stare off into the darkening meadow around them. Tony's relationship with his own father was contentious at best and he knew the older DiNozzo had pretty much abandoned his son through most of his younger years. Tony had a lot of baggage about that, but he was like a son to Gibbs. And even if he never told him that, it felt good to hear the younger man felt the same.

* * *

Lying in bed in the early pre-dawn darkness, trying not to make too much noise, Gibbs lies on his back, his hands framing her waist as he straddles his hips. Sam had woken him with her mouth; exploring his body and Gibbs quickly responded to her new talents. He would not have said their sex life was lacking, but he had a new appreciation for her inquisitive mind now. Her hands are braced against his shoulders, gripping him firmly as her hips worked slowly over the hard shaft impaling her. She holds his eyes, moving her hips one way and then another to gauge his response and when he responded favorably, she would smile. He knew he couldn't take much more of her playful teasing, but he loved the sight of her above him and wanted to make it last as long as possible. His hands tightened on her hips as a groan escaped him as she lowered her hips once more, then paused with a slow rotation before rising up to do it again.

Gibbs pulls Sam a little closer, bringing her mouth down to his as he reaches up to kiss her hungrily. She moans into his mouth, twining her tongue with his as his hands still her hips as he takes over. His hips thrust up in quick strokes, driving into her deeply as he releases her lips to huskily groan, "Ahhh... I'm so close..."

She moans softly and presses kisses to his jaw, moving slowly along towards his throat where she gives herself up to his need and rests her head next to his as she whispers, "Mmmnnn, yes... feels... so... good..."

His arms snake up around her back, holding her tighter as he now arches his hips, driving into her hard and fast as he finally lets go. Their moans are muffled as much as possible, but when he feels her body trembling as she is pushed over the edge into the abyss of pure sensation, he can't hold back. He growls harshly as he jerks her body down hard onto his shaft, driving deeply into her tight canal as he joins her in that mindless moment when the world stands still.

After several moments, his hips jerk once more and he collapses, dropping their bodies back onto the bed in complete exhaustion. Sam lies limply on him, too drained by the intense sensations to even lift her head as she purrs softly in his ear. Gibbs' mind is numb, but his hands stroke slowly along her flanks as his breathing finally begins to slow. When they are able to think clearly, she slips off him to lie at this side. Not wanting to lose the warmth of her body, Gibbs tucks her into his side as his mind drifts lazily in his contented state. He recalls his conversation with Parker last evening and chuckles softly; causing her to lift her head from his chest with a curious inquiry.

"Parker and DiNozzo apparently talked about our relationship." His hand strokes down her arm and back up to her shoulder as he debates whether to tell her the whole truth. "Parker asked me about our sex life earlier."

"Damn it! I knew it was a bad idea to let Parker share a room with DiNozzo."

"Nah, it was okay. He really wanted to know about the love side of things, since... as he put it 'he knows all about sex from the internet'." He chuckles again as Sam's head drops heavily to his chest with a groan.

"Do I want to hear this?"

"Tony told him what we had was special, that's all. I think Parker just wanted confirmation."

"And did you tell him?" She gently strokes her hand through the hairs on Gibbs' chest, loving the rumble under her ear as he talked.

"Yeah, we talked." He combs his fingers through her hair before he adds, "He wants to live at my house."

"He does? He said that?" Gibbs feels her tense at his side.

"Uh-huh... said you're happier there too." He reaches around to gently guide her chin up so he can look into her eyes; wanting to see her reaction to that. What he sees is quickly hidden so he pushes the issue. "Sam... that true?"

"I... it is a nice house, but..." She nervously avoids coming right out and saying she would love nothing more than to live there with him. She has been living for so long on the edge, ready to pack up and leave at the first sign of trouble that she can only dream of a more permanent life.

"But what? Sam, we already decided to get married... what's the problem?"

"Married?! And just when did we decide that, Jethro?" She is surprised by his announcement as she raises up onto her elbow to give him her full attention now.

"Told you I wanted you and Parker in my life... and you agreed." He cocks his head to the side, looking at her as if her puzzlement was bizarre.

She shakes her head in disbelief, recalling that conversation, but not realizing he meant so much more. "I guess I need to listen closer, 'cause I missed the whole proposal part somewhere."

"I'm a man of few words... you gotta pay attention." Gibbs wraps his arm around her waist and suddenly rolls into her, pushing her onto her back as he now leans over her. He lowers his head for a slow, intense kiss that tells her this is no joke. When he pulls back, his hand gently traces her face as he huskily whispers, "I never thought I'd find... I love you and Parker... marry me."

She doesn't answer right away, even though her heart is tripping along erratically with joy. Her hand comes up to caress his cheek as a smile spreads across her face with her teasing words, "Since you and my son have this all worked out... I guess I have to say yes."

Gibbs returns her smile and allows her hand to guide his lips down to hers for a slow, romantic kiss that expresses all of the love in their hearts. They spend long minutes just kissing and cuddling as the daylight begins to filter into the room.

* * *

After a leisurely breakfast and a few more stone tosses in the pond while Sam packed up their stuff, they were ready to head back to the city. Gibbs couldn't remember a time when he felt this relaxed... this content and he is looking forward to transitioning Sam and Parker into his home and into his life permanently.

They share the ride back in a comfortable silence, punctuated by periodic glances, smiles and their hands joined on the seat between them. Parker is in the back with his headphones on, playing his favorite video game, but even he looks up once or twice to smile when they exchange a glance and gently tighten their grip.

Gibbs knows there is still work to do on the Diering case, but when he drops Sam and Parker off at home, he has no doubts about their safety now. He leaves them with the intention of running home to change, but then realizes since this is Friday anyway, it wouldn't matter if he put in a couple of hours work in jeans. He heads straight to the office, curious to see how the crime scene was handled by the three young agents. Ducky was very capable of managing the scene, but even he wasn't as particular about how things were done as Gibbs was. He knew there would be no glaring mistakes by the young agents, but it never hurt to get on their case about some minor things... just to keep them on their toes.

When he arrives at the office, he finds his team at their desks, busily typing up their reports from the last few days. He walks in with his customary coffee and heads straight for his desk as he gets their attention with his usual impatience. "Talk to me, people... updates... now."

All three agents jump to their feet, coming to line up in front of their boss's desk. Gibbs sits down, looking from one to the next before he settles on McGee by pointing to him. McGee nods and points the remote to the plasma screen to bring up his information on the device found in the car.

"Boss... I finished my analysis of the triggering device in Diering's car... which you know was left with his sister. The device was controlled by a complicated micro-computer here..." He zooms the screen in to show them the tiny motherboard. Gibbs gives it a quick glance then turns his attention back to McGee with a look that indicates he was more interested in hearing what it did, not how it looked. "Right. So this computer was programmed into the electronic ignition of the car... with a pre-set counter."

"Counter? Counting what, McMath?" DiNozzo, having been out of the loop, was not comfortable with having his junior agent knowing more about the case than he did.

"Counting down the number of times the car was started and turned off. This particular computer chip was programmed to allow the car to be turned on twice... and turned off twice before it triggered the thirty-second detonation timer."

"Twice on and twice off? What would be the purpose of that?" This time the other three agents all look at Tony as if he was just a bit too slow.

"On to drive to NCIS... off to park it and turn it over to us. Then on when we drove it into the evidence bay... and off..."

"...when we parked it there and boom!" DiNozzo finally sees the whole picture and finishes Ziva's explanation.

Gibbs stares at the device on the screen, silently thankful that he found that scrap of paper in Diering's van. If he hadn't it could have been another disastrous explosion... this time with much more serious consequences. This reminds him of the van and he looks to his senior field agent.

"What about the van? Dorneget finished?"

"Well boss... the van, yeah... it's in the evidence garage... all of it." He scratches his head in a comic fashion as he grins over at his two co-workers. "I think you need to see that for yourself."

Gibbs gives him a glare, wondering what sort of fiasco awaits him in the garage. He finishes off his coffee and stands up with a frustrated sigh. As he steps out from behind his desk, the three agents step back, but Gibbs crooks his finger at his senior agent, "DiNozzo, you're with me."

The two men walk towards the rear elevators which will take them to the evidence garage. Gibbs waits until they are inside the car with the door closed before his hand snaps out to deliver a sharp head slap to the younger man. Caught off guard and not expecting the discipline, Tony cringes forward with a groan of pain, then quickly steps away from his boss to get out of range of a second blow.

"Ooww! What was that for, boss?" He rubs the back of his head and looks to Gibbs in confusion.

"For talking to Parker about my sex life, DiNozzo"

"Oh, hey, boss... no! We never... I mean, not like you're thinking..." He stops when Gibbs gives him that cold glare which clearly states he already knows the answer. Tony falls silent with a quick nod and again rubs the back of his head, "Won't happen again, boss... but..."

"But what!?" Gibbs turns to him and comes face to face so Tony gets the full effect of those icy blue eyes.

"Nothin, boss... just gonna say it was Parker who brought it... ah, not important." He again nods and shuts his mouth as Gibbs eyes narrow at his attempt to explain.

Gibbs steps back to his original position and stares at the numbers as they arrive at the basement level. Just before he steps out a smirk emerges on his face as he gives DiNozzo a gentle shove out ahead of him and teases, "Don't wanna have to separate my boys..."

Tony glances back over his shoulder at his boss and sees the smile, but more than that, he hears the term and grins happily. Gibbs considered him one of his boys... part of his family and that meant everything to him. As Gibbs comes out into the garage, his attention is drawn to the row after row of organized bins. All labeled, color coded and arranged in rows according to evidentiary value. In the middle of it all was the van... now stripped down to its bare frame with the interior, wheels, axles and engine having been removed. Those vehicle parts were also tagged and labeled in a separate area. The only thing not removed from the van was the brown paint on its exterior.

Gibbs stops in disbelief as a sigh of frustration makes his nostrils flare; and telegraphing his anger. Tony stops beside him and with a grin, leans in to whisper, "Before you go all Gibbs on him... remember, you told Dornie to analyze ever scrap and fiber."

Gibbs glares over at his agent, tempted to head slap him again, but then realizes he is right. He had been very specific in his instructions to the young agent. He looks back at the mess with a shake of his head and notices the young agent standing amid his chaos with a clipboard in his hand. He takes a calming breath and weaves his way through the rows to speak to Dorneget. Unseen by him, DiNozzo gives the younger agent a quick thumbs up of encouragement.

"Hope to hell you know what all this is, Dorneget." Gibbs stops before him with his hands on his hips, challenging the young agent.

"Yes, si... Agent Gibbs, I do. I have it all sorted, tagged, analyzed and cataloged by significance. I just didn't impound it until you had a chance to go over it first."

Gibbs looks over the clipboard sheets handed to him, noting that he'd done a damned good job of listing the evidence, what did not appear to be evidence and where it was located in the van. After giving the boss a few minutes to review the list, Dorneget leans in and taps the edge.

"If I could draw your attention to page two... lines thirty-seven through forty-one?" He waits until Gibbs flips to that page and reads the entries. "These are the items of most interest and you'll note they appear to be his diary... or manifesto, if you prefer."

Gibbs looks over the remaining items, glancing around at the bins now and then to put a visual reference to the written descriptions. When he is done, he hands the clipboard back to the young agent who is waiting nervously. Gibbs gives him an intense look, as if seeing the young man for the first time before he responds.

Good work, Agent Dorneget... now get this stuff impounded... except for thirty-seven through forty-one. Put those in the temporary locker so you can work on them later."

"Later, sir?" Dorneget hadn't thought about his assignment past getting this van processed and had assumed he would be returning to his normal assignment answering phone tips that came in to NCIS.

"Well, yeah, Dorneget... you gotta finish up with that diary stuff, write your reports...oh yeah... and put that van back together so we can ship it off to the impound yard." Gibbs gives the vehicle one last look and turns back towards the elevators with a shake of his head at how the young agent had taken his instructions to heart.

"Right! I'll get on that, right away." Dorneget is on cloud nine at having been given a nod of approval for his work. He can't believe he'll get to spend more time doing field work... or follow-up from field work on Gibbs' team. This was his dream assignment and apparently he hadn't screwed it up too badly.

"Dorneget!" The young agent stops in mid-stride as Gibbs' barks out his name from across to room. When he has his attention, Gibbs continues, "I don't want to see you in the squad room until you've showered and changed... understood?"

The young man looks momentarily worried as he looks down at this rumpled clothes and then sniffs his armpit. Was he really that bad? By the time he looks back up, Gibbs and DiNozzo are back in the elevators on their way to Autopsy to check in with Dr. Mallard.

* * *

By the end of the next week, Dorneget was strutting around the other probationary agents with new confidence. He had finished up his temporary assignment and reluctantly returned to his old job, but a last second comment by Gibbs had eased the transition. He'd met Dorneget by the elevator to tell him he'd done a good job and they would keep him in mind for future field assignments. That was all that was needed to give the young agent the boost he needed to do his menial job of answering phones while he waited for his next opportunity to be called up to the big leagues and work with Gibbs' team again.

Ducky had nothing but good things to say about the young agent as well... which was more than he could say for the other two. They had lacked initiative and focus during the scene at the safe house and needed a lot of direction. Aside from that, the scene had not been screwed up and it was handled much as Gibbs thought it would.

His final report to Leon Vance was done after he received the report from Dorneget on the ramblings of Diering about how NCIS, and Gibbs in particular was responsible for the death of his son. They discovered that his son had actually been investigated by Gibbs years earlier and as a result of that investigation, Gibbs had recommended that Evan Diering and the other sailor involved be re-assigned. It was that recommendation that resulted in Evan being assigned to the ship that ultimately had the explosion that killed him. Now that all the pieces fit together, they were able to get back to their normal workload and let the politicians deal with how they wanted to handle the cover-up of Knowles' sudden removal from office.

THE END.


End file.
